HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Bottled Water

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2005, Official Report, column 247, on bottled water, 
	(1)  what proportion of glass from bottles containing drinking water which is on sale in parliamentary canteens or provided by House of Commons Departments for hon. Members' use was (a) recycled and (b) sent for disposal in landfill sites in the most recent year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the estimated cost has been to Departments of the House in providing bottles of water in each year since 1997.

Archy Kirkwood: All water bottles disposed of from the Refreshment Department's restaurants, bars and banqueting rooms in the Palace of Westminster are recycled, as are the bottles purchased from the Refreshment Department by the Serjeant at Arms Department for use in Westminster Hall, Committee and other meeting rooms in the Palace. Glass water bottles sold in the self-service cafeterias are not currently recycled, as most of these are bought by customers for consumption elsewhere, and there are no recycling facilities for empty bottles in the other buildings on the Parliamentary Estate; the re-cycling of glass bottles from these areas is being actively pursued. The Refreshment Department estimates that approximately 50 per cent. of its total purchases of water bottles are recycled. None are sent for disposal in landfill sites.
	The House of Commons Refreshment Department purchased bottled water to the following values in each year since 2000–01:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2000–01 33,193 
			 2001–02 37,762 
			 2002–03 52,141 
			 2003–04 53,897 
			 2004–05 (1)45,926 
		
	
	(1) Year to date
	Note:
	No figures are available for previous years.
	The House of Commons Refreshment Department sells bottled water through its dining rooms, cafeterias and bars. The estimated gross profit on these sales over the past 12 months is around £57,000.
	The Serjeant at Arms Department purchases its bottled water through the House of Commons Refreshment Department; its costs are therefore included within those given in the table for the Refreshment Department. Of these totals, purchases of bottled water by the Serjeant at Arms Department are estimated at the following values in each year since 2001–02:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 5,464 
			 2002–03 7,714 
			 2003–04 11,530 
			 2004–05 (2)10,100 
		
	
	(2) Year to date.
	Note:
	No figures are available for previous years.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Contingencies

Andrew George: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the Deputy Prime Minister in respect of the budget settlement for each responsible authority and the ability of each to fulfil its legal duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

David Miliband: The Cabinet Office and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have regular discussions on a range of issues, including the distribution of civil protection funding for local authorities.

Civil Contingencies

Andrew George: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the ability of the Council of the Isles of Scilly of the ability to fulfil its (a) legal duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and (b) other emergency service responsibilities.

David Miliband: The Government assessed civil protection funding for local authorities collectively as part of Spending Review 2004, and agreed a level of funding with the Local Government Association to reflect the aggregate civil protection responsibilities across all local authorities. The Government's contribution to local authorities' civil protection work will be paid for via the mainstream Revenue Support Grant from 2005–06. This funding is not ring-fenced, and it is a matter for individual local authorities to determine how they use the overall formula grant allocation to achieve the outcomes required by legislation.

Civil Contingencies

Andrew George: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the council of the Isles of Scilly in respect of its ability to fulfil its legal duties to meet the requirements of (a) the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and (b) other civil emergency responsibilities.

David Miliband: Throughout the development of the Civil Contingencies Act and supporting regulations and guidance, the Government have maintained a close dialogue with local authorities. In respect of some matters, most notably funding, the Government have sought the views of authorities through the Local Government Association. More generally, the Government have sought the views of individual local authorities through three public consultations.
	In addition, the Government Office of the South West regularly discusses civil protection matters with local authorities across the region, including the Council of the Isles of Scilly.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Contracts

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many contracts were awarded by (a) the Department and (b) agencies for which the Department is responsible to small and medium-sized enterprises in each year since 2001–02; and what the total value of those contracts was in each year.

Alun Michael: From information held centrally and for the financial year 2001–02, the Department placed 13,647 contracts and purchase orders worth £105 million with companies employing less than 249 employees; in 2002–03 the figures were 7,788 and £59 million respectively; and in 2003–04 the figures were 7,008 and £54 million respectively.
	Information on Defra's agencies and NDPBs is not held centrally.

Departmental Contracts

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many contracts in her Department have been granted to (a) EDS, (b) Fujitsu and (c) EDS and Fujitsu jointly in each of the last two years; whether they were open to competition; for what they were granted; for how much, and over what period of time; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: From information held centrally, I am not aware of any contracts let by the Department to EDS or Fujitsu over the last two years other than assignments under the overall Fujitsu Software Maintenance Services Contract. Information on Defra's Executive Agencies and Non Departmental Public Bodies is not held centrally.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on (a) indoor bought plants, (b) indoor hired plants, (c) outdoor bought plants and (d) outdoor hired plants in each year since 1997.

Alun Michael: Purchases of plants are not separately identified. There has been a trend towards the provision of artificial plants to save ongoing maintenance costs. In the Department's offices there are now only two locations where live plants remain with maintenance charges of £2,566 per annum.

Departmental Policies (Hull)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Kingston upon Hull, North constituency, the effects on Kingston upon Hull, North of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Alun Michael: Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. A summary of some our achievements to date can be found at http://defra/corporate/achievements. htm. I am confident that the Kingston upon Hull, North constituency will have benefited from these.
	Through our national strategy for waste, we are committed to delivering a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 2003–04, and 25 per cent. by 2005–06. To help local authorities achieve their own targets Defra's Waste Minimisation Fund was set up in 2002. As a result of successful bids for money from this fund by Kingston upon Hull City Council, the residents of the city should over the next few years reap the benefits, with a total of almost £2.4 million being awarded to the city council for the period 2003–04 and 2005–06 for projects to expand kerbside recycling schemes across the city covering a total of 110,000 households, including those in the Kingston upon Hull, North constituency.
	River water quality has improved along the River Hull over the last seven years. In 1997, none of the river's length within the city council area was considered to be of fair or better chemical quality, while by 2003 70 per cent. was measured as being of fair chemical quality. Over this same period the biological quality of the river has been of fair quality or better throughout. These improvements reflect Defra's policy to improve river water quality, which is one of the headline indicator's of sustainable development and to raise compliance with the EC Water Framework Directive.
	With grant support from Defra the Environment Agency has undertaken maintenance and improvement of flood defences around most of the Humber estuary, including those in front of Hull, while also managing the River Hull defences along with the city council, and riparian owners. Since the mid 1990s, and as a result of this Defra funding the Agency has invested approximately £25 million on improvements to the Hull defences on the estuary, and approximately £5 million on works on the River Hull.
	Defra provides comprehensive statistical information. The following web address will take my hon. Friend directly to the service:
	http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default.asp

E-mails

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many e-mails were deleted by (a) her Department and (b) agencies for which her Department is responsible in (i) January 2004 and (ii) December 2004.

Alun Michael: The Department only keeps backup tapes for its e-mail servers for six weeks, therefore the information requested in part (i) is not available.
	There are currently over 13,000 mailboxes on around 90 servers, each of which would need to be restored and individually interrogated to gather this information, therefore due to the disproportionate cost it would involve, it has not been possible to comply with part (ii) of the request.
	Guidance issued from the head of the home civil service to all Departments in July 2004 provided a clear cross-departmental approach to the handling of e-mail correspondence, and a copy is available in the Library of the House.

Litter

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it an offence for vehicle users to cause damage to other vehicles or road users by throwing litter, with particular reference to cigarette ends.

Alun Michael: The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill which has completed its committee stage in the House on 1 February 2005, confirms the definition of litter as including the dropping of cigarette ends as well as chewing gum. This will specifically enable enforcement officers to issue fixed penalty notices to road users who throw cigarette ends from their vehicles. The Bill does not contain a specific clause aimed at vehicle users who cause damage to other vehicles or road used, by throwing litter.

Sheep Tagging

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce the EU system for sheep tagging; and what discussions she has had with the National Farmers Union on this matter.

Ben Bradshaw: We are working towards implementation of EU Regulation 21/2004 on the identification of sheep and goats by 9 July 2005. The regulation provides for double tagging of breeding sheep and goats, but allows member states to continue operating their national systems where these are approved by the Commission. We have applied to the Commission for approval of our National System and are currently awaiting their response.
	My officials regularly speak to representatives of the NFU about implementation of the regulations and consulted them during the proposal stage. We have also ensured that they have been fully consulted on our application to the Commission to continue with our National System.

Bovine TB

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the adequacy of measures to control TB in badgers in Gloucestershire; what further steps she is planning to take; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: We are carrying out a badger culling trial in areas of the south west and west of England, including Gloucestershire, to assess whether culling badgers will help to control bovine TB in cattle.
	The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) which oversees the trial, has undertaken to notify Ministers, without delay, of any significant findings emerging from the data gathered. We will consider any evidence provided by the ISG, as well as evidence emerging from other research, and use this to inform future policy on wildlife controls.
	A limited Road Traffic Accident (RTA) survey is also being conducted in seven counties in England, including Gloucestershire, as part of a validation study. The objective is to determine if RTA data can provide an accurate indication of TB in badgers.
	Work has begun on requirements for a field trial for a badger vaccine although further work is needed on methods of vaccination, monitoring the effectiveness of the vaccine and the effect of exposure of non-target species. In addition, work is focusing on improved diagnosis of TB in badgers, transmission routes between and within species, and understanding the epidemiology and risk factors for the disease.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adoptions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many adoptions were completed by each social services department in each of the last five years for children aged (a) nought to three, (b) four to 10 and (c) over 10 years.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is only available for the period 1999 to 2003, and has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Autism

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2005, Official Report, columns 809–10W, on autism, if she will list the practical proposals for strengthening teacher training in special educational needs and disability issues referred to; what the timescale for their implementation is; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Working with the Teacher Training Agency, we are carrying forward a range of proposals designed to improve the special educational needs skills and confidence of trainee, newly qualified, and established teachers. The initiatives being discussed with interested parties include:
	Developing resources, and exemplars of best practice, for training providers to use when assessing trainee teachers against the SEN elements of the Initial Teacher Training (ITT), Qualified Teacher Status and Induction Standards.
	Establishing pilots of specialist SEN programmes within ITT.
	Creating opportunities for trainee and newly qualified teachers to benefit from extended placement at special schools.
	Establishing a network of experienced SEN tutors to facilitate better access to, and sharing of, specialist SEN expertise.
	Creating opportunities for established teachers to undertake further post-graduate specialist SEN qualifications.
	It is envisaged that the proposals will be implemented over the period 2005–2008.

Care

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were (a) taken into care and (b) placed for adoption in each of the last 10 years, broken down by age.

Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the number of children who started to be looked after during the year ending 31 March by age on starting.
	
		Children who started to be looked after during the year ending 31 March by age on starting, 1994 to 2003(3)(5507340004)(5)—England -- Number
		
			 Year ending 31 March 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 All Children 31,400 32,500 32,100 29,900 29,700 28,400 28,600 25,200 25,300 24,100 
			 Under 1 3,200 3,400 3,300 3,300 3,200 3,500 3,700 3,700 4,000 3,800 
			 1–4 6,500 6,300 6,200 5,800 5,700 5,500 5,200 4,600 4,700 4,600 
			 5–9 5,900 6,100 6,200 5,900 6,200 5,600 5,400 4,700 4,500 4,600 
			 10–15 13,000 14,000 13,900 12,600 12,000 11,600 12,300 10,900 10,900 10,100 
			 16+ 2,800 2,700 2,600 2,200 2,600 2,200 2,000 1,300 1,300 1,000 
		
	
	(3) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements.
	(4) Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after in each year has been counted.
	(5) Figures over 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 100. All other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Children Looked After by Local Authorities, Year Ending 31 March 2003
	The following table shows the number of children placed for adoption at some point in the year ending 31 March by age on placement starting.
	
		Children looked after placed for adoption at some point in the year ending 31 March by age on placement starting, 1994 to 20031,2,3,4,5—England -- Number
		
			 Year ending 31 March 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Number placed for adoption in year 3,800 3,700 3,800 3,900 4,200 4,900 6,100 7,100 7,800 7,200 
			 Under 1 790 750 690 670 830 1,000 1,300 1,400 1,500 1,400 
			 1–4 1,600 1,500 1,700 1,900 2,200 2,600 3,200 3,800 4,000 3,700 
			 5–9 1,100 1,200 1,100 1,100 1,100 1,200 1,500 1,800 2,000 1,900 
			 10–15 290 270 — — — 90 140 210 230 180 
			 16+ 10 10 — — — 10 10 10 20 0 
		
	
	(6) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements.
	(7) Children looked after placed for adoption more than once in a year have only been counted once.
	(8) Children looked after placed for adoption where the placement spans several years have been counted once in each year.
	(9) Age at start of placement.
	(10) Figures over 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 100. Figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced by "—". All other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	SSDA903 return

Child Care

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how much money per head has been provided for (a) nursery and (b) pre-school education in England in each of the last seven years;
	(2)  how much money per head has been provided for (a) nursery and (b) pre-school education within the North Somerset local education authority in each of the last seven years.

Margaret Hodge: There have been underlying changes to the provision for and the funding of under fives which mean it is not meaningful to give per pupil funding over time. These include the abolition of flat rate nursery vouchers and changes from a nursery formula based on the number of eligible pupils in an area, to a formula based on the number of nursery places made available in an area. Additionally, authorities have been increasing provision to meet the commitment to universal nursery education for all three and four-year-olds and in recent years LEAs have been funded for extra pupils to allow them to reach universal provision.
	However, the following figures show the education expenditure by both central and local government for under fives in real terms. These figures do not include expenditure on child care nor on Sure Start:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,029 
			 1998–99 2,063 
			 1999–2000 2,292 
			 2000–01 2,569 
			 2001–02 3,090 
			 2002–03 3,138 
			 2003–04 3,541 
		
	
	Details of the annual expenditure just by "central" Government since 1997 on nursery education but including Sure Start and child care, are published in Table 2.2 of the annual Department for Education and Skills' Departmental Report, as follows. Services for young children and families have been increasingly integrated with nursery education and Sure Start since 2003–04 and the following table reflects this:
	
		£ million
		
			 Financial year Sure start Child Care Nursery education Total 
		
		
			 1997–98 n/a 4 637 641 
			 1998–99 n/a 45 134 179 
			 1999–2000 7 56 150 213 
			 2000–01 56 65 247 368 
			 2001–02 134 109 224 467 
			 2002–03 216 158 306 680 
			 2003–04 745 — — 745 
			 2004–05 993 — — 993 
		
	
	Note:
	The scale of spending identified in 1997–98 was due to a major injection of Nursery Education Grant funding to support the establishment of substantial free provision in the private and voluntary sectors.

Children's Centres

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list children's centres which are (a) open and (b) planned for the Islington North constituency; what the total cost of each is estimated to be; and what the funding source for each is.

Margaret Hodge: There will be five children's centres in my hon. Friend's constituency by March 2006 and three of these have opened already. The authority is working with its partners on how resources will be allocated to these children's centres. Each centre will be developed by adding services to an existing setting, using children's centre funding alongside funding for other related or relevant programmes. Children's centre funding allocated to Islington is a total of £4,182,898 to fund the development of the 10 children's centres planned in the local authority by March 2006. It is for the local authority to determine how to allocate these resources. The following table sets out our understanding of the local authority's current planning in respect of the children's centres in Islington North (these are broad estimates and are subject to change).
	
		
			   Centre name   Based upon Revenue funding for 2005/06 (£) 
		
		
			 Archway Children's Centre—Open Neighbourhood nursery/Early Years Centre 184,960 
			 Margaret Mcmillan Nursery School—Open Sure Start Local Programme/Maintain ed School 20,504 
			 Ambler—Planned Maintained 117,100 
			  School/Early Years Centre  
			 The Factory Children's Centre—Planned Sure Start Local Programme 72,452 
			 Willow Early Years Centre—Open Sure Start Local Programme/Early Years Centre 52,465 
		
	
	
		
			  Centre name Capital for 2005/06 (£)  Other sources of funding which might contribute 
		
		
			 Archway Children's Centre—Open 845,000 NNI funding £86,400, Lottery funding £79,856 
			 Margaret Mcmillan Nursery School—Open 1,170,00 SSLP Revenue 05/06 = £789,022 Capital = £1,075,000 
			 Ambler—Planned 1,000,000  
			 The Factory Children's Centre—Planned 1,000,000 SSLP Rev 05/06 = £759,022 Cap = £1,075,000 
			 Willow Early Years Centre—Open 949,000 SSLP Rev = £768,750 Cap = £1,075,000 
		
	
	We will be writing to authorities in early February with details about the second phase of children's centre planning, including funding allocations. These new resources will enable authorities to sustain existing centres and start planning further centres to open between 2006–08. This will help towards meeting our target of 3,500 children centres by 2010—so every family has easy access to high quality integrated services in their community.

Exclusions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many expulsions and exclusions of (a) children in foster care, (b) adopted children and (c) children in children's homes there were in the last period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The table shows the number of children looked after at 30 September 2003 who had been looked after for at least 12 months, and the number and percentage of permanent exclusions from school. It is not possible to disaggregate this information by placement type. Information on the exclusion of adopted children is not collected centrally.
	
		Number of children looked after at 30 September 2003 who had been looked after for at least 12 months, and number of permanent exclusions—England
		
			  Number Percentage(11) 
		
		
			 Number of children looked after at 30 September, who had been looked after for at least 12 months 44,900 — 
			 Of these:   
			 Number of permanent exclusions from school(12) 380 0.8 
		
	
	(11) Expressed as a percentage of the total number of children looked after at 30 September who had been looked after for at least 12 months.
	(12) If a child was permanently excluded more than once in the previous school year, each occasion has been counted.
	Source:
	DfES

Foster Care

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many days' care was provided by foster carers in each year between 2000 and 2004.

Margaret Hodge: The number of days of care provided by foster placements in the year ending 31 March from 2000 to 2003 is shown. These are the latest available data. Detailed figures for 2003–04 are expected to be published in March 2005.
	
		
			 England Number of foster care days (Thousand) 
		
		
			 2000 13,500 
			 2001 13,600 
			 2002 13,800 
			 2003 14,500 
		
	
	Source:
	Children Looked After by Local Authorities, year ending 31 March 2003

Learning and Skills Council

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will ensure that the Learning and Skills Council is informed of its overall level of funding in sufficient time for it to be able to inform further education colleges of their budgets for the next financial year; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) received its Grant Letter for 2005–06 from the then Secretary of State on 15 November 2004. This was some three weeks earlier than in previous years.
	The Government are continuing to invest significantly in further education. The investment we are making means that our commitment to increase FE funding rates by 5 per cent. and to fund growth in provision for young people is secured.

Learning and Skills Council

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what length of contract was originally agreed with John Harwood as Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council; whether he resigned early from the post; and what the terms of his departure from the organisation were.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have asked Chris Banks the Council's Chairman to write to the hon. Gentleman with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Learning and Skills Council

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the severance terms of the former Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council.

Ivan Lewis: The former Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) left the Learning and Skills Council on 30 September 2003 after three years in post. The severance terms took account of the remaining term of the original contract. Details are recorded in the LSC's Annual report for 2003–04.

Looked-after Children

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of looked-after children who entered university or further education in each year between 1997 and 2004.

Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the number of 19-year-old former care leavers in education on their 19th birthday. The information included in this table was not collected prior to the year 2001–02.
	
		Former care leavers at age 19 who were looked after on 1 April 1999,1 April 2000 and 1 April 2001 aged 16 (in their 17th year) in education(13)(5507340014)(15)—England
		
			  Year ending 31 March 
			  2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Number of care leavers aged 19 4,700 4,900 5,100 
			 Number in education(16) 870 1,000 1,200 
			 Percentage 18 21 23 
		
	
	(13) Figures are taken from the OC3 return.
	(14) Figures exclude former care leavers who were looked after on 1 April aged 16 who were looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements.
	(15) Figures over 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 100. All other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	(16) Includes those in higher education and those in education other than higher education.
	Source:
	Children Looked After in England (including adoptions and care leavers) 2003–04.

Looked-after Children

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of looked-after children who achieved five or more high grade passes (A-C) in each year between 1997 and 2004.

Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the number of children in school year 11 who were looked after for at least 12 months for the years ending September 2000 to 2003 and who obtained five GCSEs (or equivalent) at grade A* to C. Information was not collected centrally for the years between 1997 and 1999.
	
		
			  England 
			  As at 30 September Number of children looked after in Year 11 for at least 12 months Number with 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at grade A* to C 
		
		
			 2000 3,900 280 
			 2001 4,200 330 
			 2002 4,300 320 
			 2003 4,600 400 
		
	
	Source:
	DfES

Looked-after Children

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of looked-after children who suffer from drug or alcohol related problems.

Margaret Hodge: This information is not held centrally.

Looked-after Children

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her most recent estimate is of the number of looked-after children who have become homeless after leaving care.

Margaret Hodge: The latest available data, published on 17 November 2004 (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000533/index.shtml), relates to those care leavers who were aged 19 in the year ending 31 March 2004. There were 5,100 care leavers in that period. Councils were in touch with 4,400 of these and only 320 of them were living in bed and breakfast or emergency accommodation. It is not possible to comment on the housing arrangements of those young people that were not in touch with their council.

Low Income Families

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children lived in low income households in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04.

Chris Pond: I have been asked to reply.
	Poverty is about more than low income, it also impacts on the way people live—their health, housing and the quality of their environment. The sixth annual "Opportunity for all" report (Cm 6239) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and presents information on the indicators used to measure progress against this strategy.
	Data on the number of children in Great Britain living in low income households are published in the Department for Work and Pensions' Households Below Average Income series. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting absolute and relative trends in low income.
	According to the latest data, in 2002/03 2.6 million children in the United Kingdom were living in households below 60 per cent. median income on the Before Housing Costs measure, and 3.6 million children were living in low income on the After Housing Costs measure. Data for 2003/04 are not available until spring 2005, when they will be published as part of Households Below Average Income publication.
	In December 2003, we published "Measuring child poverty" which outlines the Government's new measure of child poverty which will be used from 2004/05.
	All publications listed are available in the Library.

Private Children's Homes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) announced and (b) unannounced inspections of private children's homes have taken place in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 24 January 2005
	Information on the number of announced and unannounced inspections that have taken place of all children's homes, including private homes, from 1 April 2002 to 19 January 2005 is shown in the following table. We do not hold information specifically relating to the inspection of private children's homes.
	
		
			  2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 
		
		
			 Announced inspections 1,702 1,761 1,660 
			 Unannounced inspections 1,030 1,660 1,109 
			 All inspections 2,732 3,421 2,769 
		
	
	Note:
	1 April 2004 to 19 January 2005 only
	Information is not available prior to 1 April 2002, the date when the National Care Standards Commission was created.

Protection of Vulnerable Adults

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills why Protection of Children Act (PoCA) and Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) referrals are not automatically cross-checked; and if he will require the automatic cross-checking of PoVA and PoCA lists.

Margaret Hodge: There is provision for cross referral between the two schemes. Where an individual is added to one of the lists, they will also be considered for inclusion on the other list, if the misconduct means that they may be unsuitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. This means that, where appropriate, some individuals are included on both lists, therefore removing the need for cross-checking.

Security Industry Association (Funding)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether Learning and Skills Council funding is available for the Security Industry Association's training programmes.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 3 February 2005
	Decisions by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) about the training courses they fund are a matter for the council and individual learning providers. I understand the LSC does fund the British Security Industry Association's programmes through a number of further education providers in England.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost is per pupil of compiling a statement of special education needs by a local education authority.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 1 February 2005
	The Department does not collect this data. However, the Audit Commission report "Statutory assessment and statements of SEN: in need of review?", published in spring 2002, estimated the cost to be £2,500. This estimate was based on a sample of data from fieldwork sites.

Special Educational Needs

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average number of hours of intervention a pre-school child with special educational needs receives; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Information on the number of hours of intervention received by pre-school children with special educational needs is not collected centrally. Early years services are determined locally to meet the needs of individual children. This would include any specific intervention to address particular needs.
	The Government's strategy to improve services for children with special educational needs "Removing Barriers to Achievement", published in February 2004, includes proposals to improve support to families who have pre-school children with special needs and disabilities. We are, for example, supporting a range of initiatives through our Early Support Programme designed to improve the support offered to disabled children aged under three and their families.

Special Educational Needs

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils with special needs attended each secondary school in Buckinghamshire in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 30 November 2004
	The requested information has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Special Schools

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding streams are available to (a) maintained special schools, (b) non-maintained special schools operated by the not-for-profit sector and (c) non-maintained special schools operated by the commercial sector.

Margaret Hodge: Funding for maintained special schools is provided through local authorities. The majority of local authority funding is provided by government with the rest from council tax. It is for local authorities to determine how best to distribute government funding between and within services. Funding for schools, including special schools, is distributed by application of a funding formula, which calculates the budget share for each school. It is for each authority to devise and revise its own school funding formula taking into account local needs and circumstances. In general terms the funding per pupil for maintained special schools is higher than that for pupils in maintained mainstream reflecting the greater needs of those pupils. Access to funding for capital projects is also provided through local authorities.
	The prime source of funding for non-maintained special schools operated by charities or charitable trusts on a not-for-profit basis and approved under Section 342(1) of the Education Act 1996 is through fees paid by local authorities placing children in schools. However, approximately £8 million of funding is made available to the sector from the Department. This funding is paid direct to schools by the Department and includes capital and revenue funding. Capital funding covers Devolved Formula Capital, Electronic Learning Credits and an Annual Capital Round that is usually run on a competitive bidding round for projects that meet specific criteria set by the Department. Revenue funding includes access to Schools Standard Grant, Standards Fund, Teacher Threshold and Laptops for Teachers.
	No government funding is provided directly to non-maintained special schools operating in the commercial sector. The primary source of funding for these schools is through the charging of fees for pupils placed at the school. Almost all pupils are placed by local authorities who are responsible for any fees.

Students

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students admitted to (a) Staffordshire University and (b) the University of Keele were (i) overseas non-EU, (ii) EU and (iii) UK students in each year between 1997 and 2004; and what percentage of the total number of such students each of these figures represent.

Kim Howells: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		Number and percentage of full time undergraduate students by domicile at the University of Keele and Staffordshire University
		
			 Domicile 1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 
		
		
			 University of Keele  
			 Home 1,205 1,425 1,425 1,435 1,350 1,595 1,750 1,970 
			 EU 150 185 140 125 110 115 65 85 
			 Other overseas 135 125 120 110 95 115 165 165 
			 Total 1,485 1,735 1,685 1,665 1,555 1,825 1,980 2,225 
			 Percentage home 81 82 85 86 87 87 88 89 
			 Percentage EU 10 11 8 7 7 6 3 4 
			 Percentage other overseas 9 7 7 6 6 6 8 8 
			  
			 Staffordshire University  
			 Home 3,590 3,310 4,110 3,900 4,045 3,380 2,810 2,660 
			 EU 300 305 320 330 300 185 165 195 
			 Other overseas 265 275 140 175 190 210 225 270 
			 Total 4,155 3,890 4,575 4,405 4,530 3,775 3,200 3,125 
			 Percentage home 86 85 90 89 89 89 88 85 
			 Percentage EU 7 8 7 8 7 5 5 6 
			 Percentage other overseas 6 7 3 4 4 6 7 9 
		
	
	Note:
	Numbers are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Teenage Pregnancy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made about the number of girls aged under 18 years in (a) children's homes and (b) foster care who became pregnant in each year between 1997 and 2004.

Margaret Hodge: This information is not held centrally.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what percentage of antisocial behaviour orders served in 2004 had been breached by 31 December 2004;
	(2)  what percentage of applications for antisocial behaviour orders have been turned down;
	(3)  what percentage of antisocial behaviour orders have been served to people with a diagnosed mental illness.

Hazel Blears: Information on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBO) issued in 2004 that were breached by 31 December 2004 will be available in the autumn of 2005.
	ASBOs are heard on application in the civil and county courts. Data on numbers applied for, granted and refused are collected centrally. Of the 2,035 applications notified to the Home Office up to 30 June 2004 (latest available), 2 per cent. (42) were refused. The Crown Prosecution Service may also make an application for an ASBO to be imposed in a criminal case. My Department does not collect data on such applications.
	Information is not collected centrally about the characteristics of persons issued with an ASBO.

Asylum Seekers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals are still resident in the UK more than six months after all appeals against their removal have been exhausted; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Information on the number of individuals who are still resident in the UK more than six months after all appeals against their removal have been exhausted is not available. In part this is because some individuals leave the country without notifying the Immigration Service.

Asylum Seekers

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the asylum registration card issued by his Department establishes a right of abode in the UK.

Des Browne: No. The application registration card provides an acknowledgement of a claim for asylum in the United Kingdom and certifies the holder's status as an asylum seeker. The card neither confers nor implies a right of abode within the UK.

Asylum Seekers

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's responsibilities to asylum seekers under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Des Browne: As a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the United Kingdom must not remove any asylum applicant if to do so would expose them to a well founded fear of persecution. We are proud of the United Kingdom's record in providing a safe haven for refugees, many of whom are fleeing in fear of their lives from the most desperate human cruelty. Like all other developed countries, we will continue to meet our obligations under the Refugee Convention which is part of a legal and ethical framework that enshrines basic principles of human decency.
	The European Convention on Human Rights imposes various obligations on States in their treatment of everyone within their jurisdiction, which includes asylum seekers. ECHR case law also prohibits the return of anyone to a place where they would face a real risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Belmarsh Detainees

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2005 Official Report, column 276W, on the Belmarsh detainees, whether subsistence costs for "G" are paid from Government funds.

Paul Goggins: It would not be appropriate for me to discuss details of any benefits or other support payments made by the Government to an individual.

Burglary (Householder Prosecutions)

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many householders have been prosecuted for alleged offences arising out of the burglary of their homes in each of the last 10 years; and how many have been convicted.

Paul Goggins: It is not possible to identify those persons prosecuted for offences arising out of the burglary of their homes, as circumstances surrounding an offence are not centrally collected on the Home Office Court Proceedings database. However the DPP would look for clear evidence of very excessive force before considering a prosecution.

CCTV (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been allocated for CCTV cameras in Coventry, South since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Since 1997, the Home Office has allocated £717,742 to Coventry to ensure full coverage of the system across the town under the Closed Circuit Television Initiative, which formed part of the Crime Reduction Programme (CRP).
	Since the completion of the Crime Reduction Programme in 2002, crime reduction funding has been allocated directly to the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership through the Building Safer Communities fund and to Basic Command Unit (BCU) Commanders through the BCU fund. These funding streams finance a variety of interventions, including CCTV, to tackle local crime priorities. The method of allocating funding across the area is the responsibility of Coventry city council and West Midlands police.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will send a further reply to the hon. Member for Walsall, North's letter of 9 November 2004, ref. P393908, setting out the latest position.

Des Browne: holding answer 3 February 2005
	I shall send a further reply to my hon. Friend's letter of 9 November 2004 as soon as the results of our further inquiries are known.

Crime (Derbyshire)

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of (a) anti-social behaviour and (b) alcohol-related crime there have been in (i) the Derbyshire constabulary and (ii) the western area of the Derbyshire constabulary in each of the last seven years.

Hazel Blears: Anti-social Behaviour is not a crime type and as such there is no definition from which the number of incidents could be reliably calculated, particularly going back seven years which pre-dates the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Alcohol related crime is the same, many crimes occur as a result of alcohol but again as it is not a crime category in itself we could not reliably measure it.

Criminal Records Bureau

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to require volunteers to pay for checks with the Criminal Records Bureau.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 1 February 2005
	There are no plans to require volunteers to pay for checks with the Criminal Records Bureau.

Fines/Fixed Penalties

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of (a) fixed penalties and (b) fines imposed by the courts in England and Wales were collected in full in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04.

Caroline Flint: Available information (by calendar year) for England and Wales on the percentage of motoring fixed penalties paid are given in the table. Information for 2003 will be available in the spring of 2005.
	
		Motoring offences -- Percentage
		
			 Fixed penalties 2000 2001 2002(17) 
		
		
			 Paid within 28 days 58.1 59.1 58.7 
			 Payment accepted after 28 days 22.3 23.1 23.2 
			 Total paid 80.4 82.2 81.9 
		
	
	(17) Estimates.
	The latest provisional data shows that, up to 31 August 2004, 28,743 penalty notices for disorder have been issued by police forces in England and Wales of which 12,978, or 45 per cent., were paid in full within the 21 day payment period. If the penalty is not paid or a court hearing requested within this time then a fine is registered against the individual. The evaluation of data from the pilots of penalty notices for disorder showed that payment of fines added to the penalties paid on time resulted in an overall payment rate of 70 per cent.
	Information from the Department for Constitutional Affairs shows that the payment rate for financial penalties was 59 per cent. in 2001–02, 55 per cent. in 2002–03, 74 per cent. in 2003–04 and 79 per cent. in 2004–05 (August to October).
	However, as a result of revisions in the method of calculating the payment rate, direct year-on-year comparisons cannot be made and although recent changes to the way data are collected from Magistrates' Court Committees allows confiscation orders to be excluded, it is still not possible for fines, costs and compensation to be identified separately, so the figures relate to financial penalties in general, as opposed to fines in isolation.
	The Department for Constitutional Affairs' Enforcement Programme is delivering a wide programme of change aimed at improving the enforcement and administration of financial penalties. The national payment rate is currently (Q3 2004–05) at 80 per cent., up 9 per cent. on the same period last year, and performance is on trajectory to meet the 78 per cent. national target at the end of the year. The ongoing work of the Programme includes improving the intelligence available to enforcement teams through a variety of information-sharing measures, national implementation of the new legislative framework for enforcement provided by the Courts Act and taking the opportunity offered by the launch of HMCS to introduce more effective and efficient ways of working. The Programme has also devised and supported a series of nationally co-ordinated fine enforcement blitzes, with the most recent—'Operation Payback 2' in November 2004—resulting in a positive impact on the payment rate of £1.7 million.

Fixed Penalty Notices

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices have been issued in each authority for nuisance behaviour in each year since their introduction.

Hazel Blears: 6,043 penalty notices for disorder were issued in the 12 months from August 2002 when the scheme was piloted in four police force areas. 57,472 (a provisional figure) have been issued in the period January to December 2004. Details by police force area are shown in the table.
	
		Number of penalty notices for disorder given for all offences during 2002, 2003 and 2004—England and Wales
		
			 Police force area Number of PNDs issued for all offences during pilot period(18) Number of PNDs issued for all offences in 2004(19) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset — 466 
			 Bedfordshire — 487 
			 Cambridgeshire — 320 
			 Cheshire — 894 
			 Cleveland — 554 
			 Cumbria — 576 
			 Derbyshire — 620 
			 Devon and Cornwall — 1,845 
			 Dorset — 475 
			 Durham — 376 
			 Essex 1,644 2,635 
			 Gloucestershire — 690 
			 Greater Manchester — 2,200 
			 Hampshire — 1,756 
			 Hertfordshire — 373 
			 Humberside — 1,387 
			 Kent — 694 
			 Lancashire — 4,868 
			 Leicestershire — 638 
			 London, City of — 47 
			 Lincolnshire — 442 
			 Merseyside — 3,556 
			 Metropolitan police(20) 392 10,675 
			 Norfolk — 469 
			 North Yorkshire — 801 
			 Northamptonshire — 536 
			 Northumbria(21) — 194 
			 Nottinghamshire — 970 
			 South Yorkshire — 1,687 
			 Staffordshire — 1,394 
			 Suffolk — 445 
			 Surrey — 200 
			 Sussex — 1,432 
			 Thames Valley — 868 
			 Warwickshire — 448 
			 West Mercia — 197 
			 West Midlands 3,569 4,567 
			 West Yorkshire — 4,035 
			 Wiltshire — 491 
			 Dyfed-Powys — 405 
			 Gwent — 379 
			 North Wales(20) 438 1,197 
			 South Wales — 183 
			 Total England and Wales 6,043 57,472 
		
	
	(18) August 2002 to August 2003.
	(19) Provisional.
	(20) Part of force only involved in pilot.
	(21) Commenced issuing penalty notices from 1 November 2004.

Foreign Students

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long, on average, it took to process an application by an international student for leave to remain in the last period for which figures are available.

Des Browne: Since the introduction of charges on 1 August 2003, we have been completing approximately 70 per cent. of postal applications within three weeks of receiving them in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND).
	We may not be able to complete applications within three weeks of receipt if they need further documents, inquiries or an interview, or if they are complex. We should normally deal with these within 13 weeks at most. A very small minority which are particularly complex or sensitive may take a little longer.
	Those international students who use the Student Batch Scheme through their Student Advisors have their applications decided within three weeks or earlier. The percentage of Batch Scheme cases decided at the Initial Consideration Stage is much higher than average—approximately 90 per cent.

Foreign Students

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department expects to raise in each of the next three years from levying charges on students applying for leave to remain.

Des Browne: In the past non-asylum immigration services were provided free of charge to applicants, at considerable cost to the UK taxpayer.
	The Government believe it is appropriate to expect those who benefit from the provision of immigration services to meet the cost of providing those services. In 2003–04, this saved the UK taxpayer £70 million.

Foreign Students

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of processing a visa extension application made by an international student studying at a UK university; how the cost was assessed; and on what data he based his calculation of the cost.

Des Browne: On 1 August 2003 the Home Office introduced charges for leave to remain applications, including those from international students. Fees were calculated to recover the full administrative costs (including staffing and overhead costs) of processing applications to the point of conveying a decision.
	We have recently consulted stakeholders on proposals to extend the principle of cost recovery charging, to include the costs of providing an appeal function and the costs of delivering enforcement activity. The consultation closed on 8 December 2004. The outcome of the consultation and the final fee levels will be announced in February 2005.
	The fee ranges have been calculated using the full cost recovery formula approved by HM Treasury. A full explanation of how the costs are calculated will be laid before Parliament when the Fees Regulations are amended.
	The fee ranges have been calculated using the full cost recovery formula approved by HM Treasury. A full explanation of how the costs are calculated will be laid before Parliament when the Fees Regulations are amended.

Foreign Students

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data he has collected on the average level of income for an international student studying at a UK university; and whether he will take account of the average level of income for international students studying in the UK when calculating the proposed level of increase to visa extension charges.

Des Browne: A joint project team—comprising representatives from the Department for Education and Skills, the Home Office and the British Council—has undertaken an assessment of the likely impact of increased leave to remain fees on attracting international students to the UK.
	International student costs and spending has been taken into account as part of this project, the outcomes of which will be made available when the Government announces its response to the recent Home Office Consultation on "Review of Charges for Immigration Applications" in February.

Foreign Students

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact on the UK economy of the proposed increase in visa extension charges for international students.

Des Browne: A Regulatory Impact Assessment of the proposed increase in charges for "leave to remain applications" on the education sector and the UK economy will be published when the Government announces its response to the recent Home Office Consultation on "Review of Charges for Immigration Applications' in February.

Foreign Students

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data he collects on the quality of service international students receive while processing a visa extension.

Des Browne: Since the introduction of charges on 1 August 2003, we have been completing approximately 70 per cent. of postal applications within three weeks of receiving them in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND).
	We may not be able to complete applications within three weeks of receipt if they need further documents, inquiries or an interview, or if they are complex. We should normally deal with these within 13 weeks at most. A very small minority which are particularly complex or sensitive may take a little longer.
	Those international students who use the Student Batch Scheme through their Student Advisors have their applications decided within three weeks or earlier. The percentage of Batch Scheme cases decided at the Initial Consideration Stage is much higher than average—approximately 90 per cent.

Foreign Students

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports have been lost by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate while processing international student applications for leave to remain over the past five years.

Des Browne: Statistics on the number of letters issued for passports reported lost or mislaid by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) while processing international student applications for LTR over the last five years would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Foreign Students

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the plans to increase visa charges on the number of international students studying in the United Kingdom.

Des Browne: A joint project team—comprising representatives from the Department for Education and Skills, the Home Office and the British Council—has undertake an assessment of the likely impact of increased leave to remain fees to attract more international students to the UK.
	The outcomes of this work will be made available, alongside a regulatory impact assessment for the education sector, when the Government announce their response to the recent Home Office Consultation on "Review of Charges for Immigration Applications".

Identity Cards and Passports (Forgery)

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many forged passports have been confiscated or impounded by Customs and Immigration officers in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many forged passports have been confiscated or impounded in the last three years by (a) Customs and Immigration officers and (b) the police.

Des Browne: The fraudulent use of passports (including forged and counterfeit documents) is taken very seriously by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, HM Customs and the police. In addition to referrals from HM Customs and the police service, fraudulent travel documents are identified by the Immigration Service at ports of entry as well as during enforcement operations. There is no single central record of the total number of forged passports confiscated or impounded by Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), Her Majesty's Customs and Excise (HMCE) and the police. However the available statistics show:
	Since 2001 numbers of fraudulent 1 travel documents detected at United Kingdom ports of entry are as follows:
	1 In the context of forgery statistics "Travel documents" is the all embracing term for passports, ID cards, refugee travel documents, certificates of identity, seaman's books and visas.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001 6,601 
			 2002 9,664 
			 2003 7,985 
		
	
	Figures are not available to indicate how many of these documents were detected by Customs or Immigration Officers or by the police.
	In addition, since 2001 the National Document Fraud Unit has had a permanent presence in the main offices of IND in Croydon, following a pilot exercise which revealed large numbers of fraudulent travel documents being submitted in support of applications for leave to remain. Fraudulent documents detected by NDFU in Croydon from 2001 are:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001 360 
			 2002 461 
			 2003 837 
			 2004 1,044

Illegal Immigration

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what technical surveillance equipment is installed at ports of entry to the UK; and how many sniffer dogs are deployed at ports of entry.

Des Browne: holding answer 1 February 2005
	A range of surveillance equipment is installed at UK ports of entry. This includes CCTV cameras to record both arriving and departing passengers and New Detection Technology (NDT) to detect clandestine entrants. The location of this equipment is as follows:
	The Immigration Service operates cameras at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. In addition to the systems operated solely by the Immigration Service access is provided at other locations by the port operators to their local systems.
	A combination of NDT, including Passive Millimetric Wave Imagers, Heart Beat Detectors, Gamma Ray Scanner and CO 2 probes are deployed at various locations including Calais, Coquelles, Dunkirk, Ostend, Zeebrugge and Vlissingen. This technology is either operated by the port authority, the carrying company or by UK immigration staff.
	CO 2 probes are also deployed at various UK locations and in addition the Mobile Freight Search Team, deploying both CO 2 probes and body detection dogs covers a variety of United Kingdom Ports. The team is intelligence led and maintains the flexibility to respond to threats at other ports.
	Details of the deployment of NDT and the Mobile Freight Search Team cannot be released, as this would compromise Border Control operations.
	The UK Immigration Service currently has eight body detection dogs and they are deployed at both juxtaposed locations and in the UK.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints from (a) England and Wales, (b) Essex and (c) Southend have been (i) made to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, (ii) upheld and (iii) investigated by (A) the authority, (B) another police force and (C) an independent organisation since its inception in April 2004.

Hazel Blears: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) informs me that 4,043 complaints from England and Wales and 108 complaints from Essex have been made direct to the IPCC.
	As of 25 January 2005, there were 21 investigations being independently investigated by the IPCC, of which four complaints were made direct to the IPCC.
	However, as it is the responsibility of individual police forces to record all complaints, and because not all complaints come through, or involve the participation of, the IPCC, the other statistics requested by my hon. Friend could be obtained only from the IPCC, police forces and police authorities at disproportionate cost.
	Although there is no statutory requirement for the IPCC, Essex Police, or indeed any other organisation to collect or record the information that my hon. Friend requests, the IPCC will collect and publish complaints' statistics on an annual basis. The IPCC hopes to publish the first set of figures for the year beginning 1 April 2004, in November of this year.
	Finally, I understand that the IPCC would welcome the opportunity to discuss with the hon. Gentleman direct any questions that he may have on the new complaints system and the keeping of statistics.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the response time for the Independent Police Complaints Commission to acknowledge receipt of a complaint by letter was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: I am informed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission that it does not acknowledge receipt of a complaint.
	In each case, it contacts the complainant for his/her consent to pass the complaint for recording to the police force concerned and, if necessary, for further information. Response time for this action varies according to the processes and is recorded only on case files. This information can be retrieved only at a disproportionate cost.

Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Fiona Mactaggart: The table, which has been placed in the Library, lists the Bills introduced by the Home Office in the sessions 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–2001, 2001–2002 and 2002–2003. The table indicates the extent to which provisions are not in force or only partially in force.
	It is not possible to provide information for legislation passed in the last 30 years without incurring disproportionate cost.

Littering (Derbyshire)

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices for littering have been issued by Derbyshire community support officers in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: Community Support Officers (CSOs) have not yet been deployed by Derbyshire Constabulary. The Constabulary was allocated 43 CSO posts under the first phase of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund. I understand that those recruited for these posts will begin training shortly.

Motoring Offences (Sentencing Review)

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the review of sentencing for motoring offences commenced; and when he expects the review to conclude.

Hazel Blears: The Home Secretary commissioned the Review of Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving in 2003.
	The review will be followed by the publication of a public consultation paper setting out our proposals for reform of this area of the law.
	The publication of the consultation paper is being treated as a top priority and we hope to publish very shortly.

People Trafficking

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of the trafficking of (a) men, (b) women and (c) children into the UK have been investigated in each of the last five years; how many individuals were involved; how many court cases have resulted; and what the outcome was in each case.

Des Browne: We do not keep central statistics on trafficking cases other than in published statistics on court proceedings. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 17 November 2004, Official Report, column 1592W. We are now starting to see convictions under the new legislation on trafficking and these will be reported in published statistics in due course.
	Reflex continues to co-ordinate law enforcement activity against organised immigration crime, including people trafficking. From April 2003-March 2004 Reflex resulted in the disruption of 38 groups involved in organised immigration crime at National Intelligence Model Level 3, and this financial year Reflex has resulted in 38 disruptions of criminal networks so far.

People Trafficking

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims of human trafficking into the UK have been returned to their home countries in each of the last five years; to which countries; what support was given to the individuals concerned; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Information on those who were removed who were victims of human trafficking in the UK, and the country to which they were removed, is not available.

Police

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance targets have been set for individual basic command units by his Department.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 January 2005
	There have been no performance targets for basic command units (BCU) set by central Government. Individual performance targets are a matter for the chief constable and police authority of a given force to agree. In agreeing force or BCU targets regard must be had to the policing priorities as laid out in the National Policing Plan, however these do not set specific targets.
	Police forces are also expected to contribute to other local targets which are not specifically police owned. Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, of which both police forces and police authorities are members, and Local Criminal Justice Boards will agree crime reduction targets and targets for numbers of offences brought to justice respectively.
	While these are not police targets, clearly the police service will have a significant role in their delivery.

Police

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) community support officers have been employed by Staffordshire constabulary in each of the past seven years.

Hazel Blears: The following table sets out Staffordshire police strength since 1997–98.
	
		Staffordshire police
		
			 As at 31 March Police officer strength 
		
		
			 1997 2,211 
			 1998 2,292 
			 1999 2,238 
			 2000 2,170 
			 2001 2,129 
			 2002 2,133 
			 2003 2,202 
			 2004 2,266 
			 2004 (31 August) 2,274 
		
	
	Community Support Officers (CSOs) were introduced by the Police Reform Act 2002 and CSO's were first recruited in Staffordshire in December 2003. By December 2004 there were 27 CSOs on patrol in Staffordshire.
	Funding for an additional 35 CSOs for Staffordshire is being made available under the first phase of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund.

Police

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what records of (a) alcohol-related crime and (b) antisocial behaviour offences are kept by police forces; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The records kept by police forces are matters for their Chief Officers, except where they relate to requests for information by the Home Office. The Home Office does not currently request regular data on either alcohol-related crime or antisocial behaviour offences.

Police

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the effect on policing in the event of the closure of the beat house in Preston Candover, Hampshire; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The decision by Hampshire Constabulary to sell the Preston Candover Beat House was taken in line with Force policy. Management of the police estate—and allocation of resources—are matters for the Police Authority and the Chief Officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.
	Preston Candover beat will continue to have a dedicated officer working full-time in the community. The constabulary are currently attempting to find an alternative beat office within the area from which the beat officer can work. A full assessment has been undertaken, and it is expected that there will be no impact on the delivery of service in the area.

Police

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been employed as special constables in Stoke-on-Trent in each of the last seven years.

Hazel Blears: The data available on special constabulary strength in the Stoke-on-Trent Basic Command Unit is for 31 March 2004, when there were 109 special constables deployed.

Prisons

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many day releases there have been from London prisons during the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: In the period 1 December 2003 to 30 November 2004 there were 50,625 day releases (known officially as Release on Temporary Licence) from London prisons, as recorded on the Prison Service central IT system.

Prisons

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were in care as a result of their mother's imprisonment in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of these children were subsequently returned to their mother's care.

Paul Goggins: There is no automatic link between a mother's imprisonment and her child being taken into the care of the Social Services. Many female prisoners' children are cared for by the mother's partner, family or friends. In those cases, mothers will normally resume their care role on release from prison.
	A child will be considered for care by Social Services only if a suitable alternative carer is not available. Whether the mother will resume care of the child on her release from prison depends upon her individual circumstances, and what is considered to be in the child's best interests by the Social Services and the courts.

Prisons

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prisoners shared cells in each month since 1997.

Paul Goggins: A proportion of the prison population is held in accommodation certified to be shared in uncrowded conditions. However, information about the number of prisoners held in this type of accommodation is not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	It is sometimes necessary to hold prisoners in crowded conditions, for example two prisoners in a cell certified for one. Information on the number of prisoners held in crowded conditions is available from 1 April 1998 and is set out in the table.
	
		
			 Date Number of prisoners Percentage of prisoners 
		
		
			 1 April 1998 13,466 20.6 
			 1 May 1998 13,211 20.3 
			 1 June 1998 13,276 20.2 
			 1 July 1998 13,243 19.9 
			 1 August 1998 13,093 19.9 
			 1 September 1998 13,158 20.0 
			 1 October 1998 13,238 20.2 
			 1 November 1998 13,055 19.8 
			 1 December 1998 12,293 19.2 
			 1 January 1999 12,520 19.3 
			 1 February 1999 12,421 19.6 
			 1 March 1999 12,603 19.6 
			 1 April 1999 11,983 18.6 
			 1 May 1999 11,582 18.0 
			 1 June 1999 12,166 18.9 
			 1 July 1999 13,543 20.8 
			 1 August 1999 13,750 21.0 
			 1 September 1999 13,409 20.4 
			 1 October 1999 13,342 20.2 
			 1 November 1999 13,299 20.2 
			 1 December 1999 12,445 20.1 
			 1 January 2000 13,005 20.4 
			 1 February 2000 13,609 20.9 
			 1 March 2000 13,453 20.6 
			 1 April 2000 11,151 17.3 
			 1 May 2000 10,634 16.2 
			 1 June 2000 11,061 17.0 
			 1 July 2000 11,546 17.5 
			 1 August 2000 11,917 18.1 
			 1 September 2000 11,341 17.5 
			 1 October 2000 11,558 18.0 
			 1 November 2000 11,317 17.7 
			 1 December 2000 9,915 16.1 
			 1 January 2001 11,198 17.7 
			 1 February 2001 11,806 18.3 
			 1 March 2001 11,927 18.2 
			 1 April 2001 11,401 17.4 
			 1 May 2001 11,642 17.6 
			 1 June 2001 11,574 17.4 
			 1 July 2001 12,435 18.5 
			 1 August 2001 12,101 18.0 
			 1 September 2001 12,785 19.0 
			 1 October 2001 12,312 18.1 
			 1 November 2001 13,021 19.0 
			 1 December 2001 12,389 18.8 
			 1 January 2002 13,168 19.4 
			 1 February 2002 13,963 20.0 
			 1 March 2002 13,642 19.5 
			 1 April 2002 15,973 22.6 
			 1 May 2002 15,403 21.7 
			 1 June 2002 17,118 24.0 
			 1 July 2002 15,531 21.8 
			 1 August 2002 16,049 22.5 
			 1 September 2002 16,371 22.7 
			 1 October 2002 16,786 23.1 
			 1 November 2002 17,063 23.6 
			 1 December 2002 16,103 23.1 
			 1 January 2003 17,672 24.9 
			 1 February 2003 18,283 25.3 
			 1 March 2003 18,318 25.1 
			 1 April 2003 17,100 23.5 
			 1 May 2003 17,677 24.3 
			 1 June 2003 18,962 25.7 
			 1 July 2003 17,831 24.1 
			 1 August 2003 16,895 23.1 
			 1 September 2003 17,702 24.0 
			 1 October 2003 17,907 24.1 
			 1 November 2003 17,295 23.4 
			 1 December 2003 17,234 23.8 
			 1 January 2004 17,510 23.8 
			 1 February 2004 18,031 24.1 
			 1 March 2004 17,675 23.5 
			 1 April 2004 18,030 23.9 
			 1 May 2004 17,872 23.9 
			 1 June 2004 16,845 22.6 
			 1 July 2004 16,711 22.3 
			 1 August 2004 18,183 24.2 
			 1 September 2004 16,520 22.1 
			 1 October 2004 17,640 23.6 
			 1 November 2004 17,677 23.5

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prison officers and (b) staff have been injured in incidents involving fires at (i) Wetherby, (ii) Ashfield, (iii) Camphill, (iv) Durham and (v) Winchester prison establishments.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is in the following table. It covers incidents over the past 12 months.
	
		Table 1. Officers and staff injured in incidents involving fires in the last 12 months:
		
			 Establishment Officers Staff 
		
		
			 Durham 12 0 
			 Wetherby (22) 5 0 
			 Camphill 16 2 
			 Winchester 8 0 
			 Ashfield (private prison) 0 0 
			 Totals 41 2 
		
	
	(22) Stats began/compiled only from May 2004
	The majority of fires in prisons occur in prisoners' cells. Prison Officers are responsible for managing the situation until the fire brigade attend the scene and are, therefore, more likely to be injured than are other staff.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost for the supplies of drugs and pharmaceuticals prescribed to prisoners in Prison Service establishments was in each year from 1997 to 2003, broken down by (a) juvenile, (b) women's and (c) men's establishments;
	(2)  what the average cost was of pharmaceuticals prescribed per prisoner in each year from 1997 to 2003;
	(3)  what proportion of expenditure on drugs in prison establishments in each year from 2000 to 2003 were spent on (a) anti-psychotics, (b) anti-depressants, (c) sedatives and (d) drugs to treat addiction.

Paul Goggins: This information is not available in the form requested. The report "A Pharmacy Service for Prisoners" (Department of Health/H.M. Prison Service June 2003) indicated that the Prison Service spent in the order of £7 million a year on medicines, with expenditure per prisoner varying widely. A study of prescribing across five prisons in 2000 showed a range in annual average cost per prisoner of between £78 in a category C training prison for men and £273 in a local prison for men.

Stafford Prison Escape

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his written answer of 20 January 2005, Official Report, column 1088W, if he will ensure that his Department notifies the hon. Member for Stafford when the report into the escapes from Stafford Prison on 8 December 2004 is completed; and if he will arrange for the hon. Member to receive a briefing on the contents of the report.

Paul Goggins: The investigation into the escapes from Stafford prison has been completed and the report has been accepted by the Area Manager for the West Midlands. The Governor will contact my hon. Friend to arrange to brief him on the report.

Stop and Search (London)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and searches have been made by police officers of the Metropolitan police in the Greater London area in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: The number of Stop and Searches of persons under s1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, and other legislation, carried out by the Metropolitan police over the last three years are as follows (Section 95—Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System).
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000–01 167,074 
			 2001–02 197,333 
			 2002–03 262,903

Telephone Tapping

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many telephone wire taps have been authorised in the last 12 months in the West Mercia police constabulary area.

Hazel Blears: The most recently published figures for the numbers of interception warrants are contained in the report of the Interception of Communications Commissioner for 2003 (HC883). The available figures are not broken down by constabulary areas.

Terrorism Act

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been stopped and searched at RAF Menwith Hill under the Terrorism Act 2000 in each year since the Act came into force.

Hazel Blears: Statistics showing the number of stop-searches in each force area for England and Wales under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 are published annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin.
	Statistics are only collated for each force area, therefore the number of people stop-searched specifically at RAF Menwith Hill under the Terrorism Act 2000 is not available.
	The number of stop-searches under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for North Yorkshire, the force area covering RAF Menwith Hill, are:
	
		
			 Financial year Number  
		
		
			 2001–02 8 Vehicles and occupants 
			  0 Pedestrians 
			 2002–03 110 Vehicles and occupants 
			  0 Pedestrians 
			 2003–04 30 Vehicles and occupants 
			  38 Pedestrians 
		
	
	The Statistical Bulletin can be found on the Research and Statistics section of the Home Office website.

Under-age Drinking (Hartlepool)

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place for under-age drinking in Hartlepool in each year since 1990.

Hazel Blears: There is no specific offence of under-age drinking.
	However, the available information from the Home Office Court Proceedings database, gives the number of defendants aged 10 to 17 years who were proceeded against in Hartlepool PSA, for offences of being drunk, drunk at a designated sports event and drunk and disorderly together with defendants proceeded against for the offence of: "Selling etc., intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 for consumption on the premises", 1990–2003.
	Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against in Hartlepool PSA for alcohol related offences involving under 18-year-olds, 1990–2003(23)
		
			 Offence description Principal statute 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 
		
		
			 Defendants aged 10 to 17 years   
			 Drunk in a highway or other public place whether a building or not, or on licensed premises Licensing Act 1872 S.12 — — — — — 
			 Drunk in, or when entering, a designated sports event Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 S.2(2) — — — — — 
			 Being guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour Criminal Justice Act 1967 S 91 4 4 5 2 6 
			
			 All defendants   
			 Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises Licensing Act 1964 S.169A and B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S.1 — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence description Principal statute 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 
		
		
			 Defendants aged 10 to 17 years   
			 Drunk in a highway or other public place whether a building or not, or on licensed premises Licensing Act 1872 S.12 — — 1 — — 
			 Drunk in, or when entering, a designated sports event Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 S.2(2) — — — — 1 
			 Being guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour Criminal Justice Act 1967 S 91 12 33 24 18 19 
			
			 All defendants   
			 Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises Licensing Act 1964 S.169A and B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S.1 — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence description Principal statute 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Defendants aged 10 to 17 years  
			 Drunk in a highway or other public place whether a building or not, or on licensed premises Licensing Act 1872 S.12 — — — — 
			 Drunk in, or when entering, a designated sports event Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 S.2(2) — — — — 
			 Being guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour Criminal Justice Act 1967 S 91 8 11 15 9 
			   
			 All defendants  
			 Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises Licensing Act 1964 S.169A and B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S.1 — 1 — 1 
		
	
	(23) These data are on the principal offence basis

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when he will reply to the letter dated 15 December from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Thomas Gill.

Christopher Leslie: The Secretary of State replied to my right hon. Friend on 2 February 2005.

Courts (Photography)

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Government intends to amend or repeal section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1925, following the statement by the Lord Chancellor that photography will be allowed in court.

Christopher Leslie: My Department will be consulting on the issue of court broadcasting until the end of February, and no decision has yet been taken as to whether photography will be allowed in court. No statement has been made by either the Lord Chancellor or myself to the effect that photography will be permitted. I hope that the hon. Member for Beaconsfield and other interested Members of the House will take the opportunity to participate in the consultation, perhaps by completing the consultation questionnaire, which is available electronically through my Department's website at http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/courts/broadcasting-cp28–04.htm

Electoral Register

Tom Cox: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what checks are made on people whose names appear on electoral registers to ascertain whether they are eligible to vote in elections that may take place in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: Electoral registration officers (EROs) are responsible for compiling the electoral register and may require a person applying to be added to it to give additional information if they are in doubt as to whether that person is eligible to be registered. They may also refer to other records kept by the council or the registrar of births, marriages and deaths if they consider that further checks are necessary. It is an offence under the Representation of the People Act 1983 to fail to comply with a request for information from an ERO or to provide false or inaccurate information to a registration officer. The electoral register is available for public inspection which enables checks to be made that only eligible electors are on the register.

Legal Aid

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Secretary of State has to remove the £100,000 equity disregard for home owners in the assessment of eligibility for legal aid.

David Lammy: The Legal Services Commission's consultation "a new focus for civil legal aid" concluded on 15 October 2004. This proposed a number of changes to the eligibility and scope of civil legal aid, including removing the current £100,000 equity disregard for homeowners from the assessment of legal aid eligibility. We are currently considering the way forward in the light of the responses. An announcement will be made in due course.

Newcastle Courts

Alan Beith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what changes have been made to sittings of the Law Courts in Newcastle as a consequence of security arrangements for the Labour party spring conference.

Christopher Leslie: There have been no changes to the sittings at Newcastle Law Courts as a consequence of security arrangements for the Labour party conference. The court is sitting to capacity. There are 10 criminal court rooms and three civil in the Quayside building with an additional two courtrooms in the nearby Moot Hall. There are 15 judges sitting.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Publications

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many publications were issued by her Department in each of the last four years.

Richard Caborn: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001–02 21 
			 2002–03 15 
			 2003–04 13 
			 2004–05 28

Liverpool (Redevelopment)

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister about the proposed plans to redevelop parts of Liverpool.

Estelle Morris: holding answer 3 February 2005
	As part of the Department's work with Liverpool on its European Capital of Culture programme my officials have had discussions with the Government office north west on the proposal by National Museums Liverpool, one of the national museums and galleries funded by DCMS for a new Museum of Liverpool Life; and also on the proposed redevelopment of Liverpool Central Library and Archive.

Staff Surveys

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of staff surveys in the Department was in each year since 1997.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has conducted three staff surveys since 1997. The contract to run the staff survey was put out to tender in 2000 and the cost in each year since 1997 is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Cost (£) 
		
		
			 2000 17,964 
			 2001 16,800 
			 2003 15,745

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Fraud Inspectorate

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the expenditure of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate and its predecessor was in each year since 1996–97; and what the estimated budget for the next financial year is.

Chris Pond: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate was formed in November 1997. No similar organisation existed prior to this date. The available information is in the table.
	
		Benefit Fraud Inspectorate expenditure
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1996–97 0 
			 1997–98(24) 3.44 
			 1998–99 5.80 
			 1999–2000 5.64 
			 2000–01 5.88 
			 2001–02 5.55 
			 2002–03(25) 7.11 
			 2003–04 7.71 
			 2004–05 7.86 
			 2005–06 No estimated budget available 
		
	
	(24) Expenditure represents November 1997 to March 1998.
	(25) This included recruitment for Comprehensive performance Assessment work and Performance Improvement Action Team (funded by Treasury Invest to Save money).

Benefits

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many credits only recipients of incapacity benefit are (a) in receipt of income support, (b) in receipt of other benefits and (c) in receipt of no social security benefits.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the table.
	
		Working age recipients of incapacity benefit credits-only by benefit combination: August 2004
		
			  All Also in receipt of income support Also in receipt of another key benefit Not receiving another key benefit 
		
		
			 Recipients of IB credits only 923,900 784,800 41,300 97,800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. Working age claimants are men aged 16–64 and women aged 16–59.
	3. "Key benefits" are jobseeker's allowance, income support, incapacity benefit; severe disablement allowance, and disability living allowance.
	4. Recipients of IB credits only are not entitled to jobseekers allowance or severe disability allowance. Therefore those claimants who appear in the "Also in receipt of another key benefit" column are effectively those also in receipt of disability living allowance only.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Working Age Client Group sample.

Benefits

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many individuals were in receipt of (a) income support, (b) council tax benefit and (c) housing benefit in Southend-on-Sea in (i) 1980, (ii) 1990, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2004;
	(2)  how many individuals were in receipt of (a) jobseeker's allowance (contribution based) and (b) jobseeker's allowance (income based), or their equivalents, in Southend-on-Sea in (i) 1980, (ii) 1990, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2004.

Chris Pond: Figures broken down by local authority are not available for these benefits prior to 2000.
	The available information is in the table.
	
		Benefit recipients in Southend-on-Sea at dates shown
		
			  May 2000 May 2004 
		
		
			 Housing benefit 12,100 12,200 
			 Council tax benefit 15,000 15,200 
			 Income support 12,300 6,500 
			 Jobseeker's allowance (contributory based) (26)500 (26)300 
			 Jobseeker's allowance (income based) 2,800 1,800 
		
	
	(26) Numbers based on very few sample cases and are subject to a high degree of sampling variation. These figures should be used as a guide to the current situation only.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	3. Income-based JSA figures include claimants who would also be entitled to the
	contributory element.
	4. From November 2003 income support for customers aged 60 and over was replaced by pension credit. The 2004 figure reflects this.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System—Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count and Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples.

Benefits

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department made of the anticipated take-up levels via (a) bank accounts and (b) Post Office card accounts prior to the introduction of direct payment.

Chris Pond: Around 90 per cent. of DWP customers have a bank account.
	During the 2000 Spending Review a target of paying 85 per cent. of benefit and pensions customers into an account by 2005 was set. This target has now been achieved, almost a year early, and the Department is on course to comfortably exceed it by April 2005.
	Our definition of "account" also includes the Post Office card account. In 2001 we announced we had a working assumption that 3 million card accounts would be opened. (This was not a target or a forecast of numbers.) More than 4 million card accounts have now been opened.

Correspondence

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Bassetlaw of 13 October 2004 about the Child Support Agency and his constituent, Catherine Pears.

Malcolm Wicks: My hon. Friend's letter was passed to the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency who has replied today and apologised for the delay.

Low Income Households

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in poverty in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04.

Chris Pond: I have been asked to reply.
	Poverty is about more than low income, it also impacts on the way people live—their health, housing and the quality of their environment. The sixth annual "Opportunity for all" report (Cm 6239) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and presents information on the indicators used to measure progress against this strategy.
	Data on the number of children in Great Britain living in low income households are published in the Department for Work and Pensions' Households Below Average Income series. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting absolute and relative trends in low income.
	According to the latest data, in 2002–03 2.6 million children in the United Kingdom were living in households below 60 per cent. median income on the Before Housing Costs measure, and 3.6 million children were living in low income on the After Housing Costs measure. Data for 2003–04 are not available until spring 2005, when they will be published as part of Households Below Average Income publication.
	In December 2003, we published Measuring child poverty" which outlines the Government's new measure of child poverty which will be used from 2004–05.
	All publications listed are available in the Library.

Child Poverty (Stoke-on-Trent)

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many children were living in poverty in Stoke-on-Trent in each of the past seven years;
	(2)  how many children lived in low income households in Stoke-on-Trent in each of the last seven years.

Chris Pond: Our first step towards eradicating child poverty as set out in our current Public Service Agreement target is to reduce the number of children in low-income households by a quarter by 2004–05. This is measured using the proportion of children in relative low income households. Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994–95 to 2002–03". Data are not available below the regional level and is only available as proportions at the regional level. It should be noted that the reporting of year on year changes in the regional low-income rates are not reliable.
	'Measuring child poverty", published in December 2003, outlines the Governments measure of UK child poverty for the long-term. The measure will consist of three tiers; absolute low income, relative low income and material deprivation and low income combined. The Government will set a target as part of the 2006 SR06 Spending Review to halve by 2010–11 the numbers of children suffering a combination of material deprivation and relative low income. Data will not be available below the regional level.
	All publications listed are available in the Library.

State Pensions

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the operational costs of the pension book in each year since 1997; and what percentage that represents of (a) the total budget for his Department and (b) the total budget of all UK Government Departments in each year since 1997.

Chris Pond: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The total cost of all DSS-DWP order book transactions at the Post Office between April 1997 and March 2004 was £2.56 billion. This represented 5.69 per cent. of all DWP DEL expenditure over the same period and 0.17 per cent. of all Department's DEL expenditure over the same period. The order book figure does not include the costs of producing and issuing order books, dealing with lost or stolen books or other maintenance work within DWP connected with making payments.

State Pensions

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of fraud connected with the operation of the pension book in each year since 1997.

Chris Pond: A breakdown of order book loss by benefit type is not available. The available information is in the table.
	
		Estimated order book losses across all benefits administered by Department for Work and Pensions
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 98 
			 1998–99 83.2 
			 1999–2000 89.4 
			 2000–01 58.0 
			 2001–02 62.8 
			 2002–03 49.7 
			 2003–04 46.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures include duplicate encashment and manipulation/counterfeit losses for all benefits, not just the State Pension.
	2. We use a methodology assuming a constant proportion of the "at risk" figure being fraudulent and a constant amount of fraud due to counterfeits and manipulations. The "at risk" figure for a given period is the estimated value of all books stopped and not recovered in that period. This is the best estimate currently available.
	3. Figures exclude War Pensions from 2002–03 onwards because Veterans Agency (War Pensions Agency) Programme Expenditure moved to the Ministry of Defence.
	4. Figures exclude Child Benefit from 2003–04 onwards because Child Benefit Programme Expenditure moved to the Inland Revenue.
	Source:
	Losses are derived from figures from Jobcentre Plus, Payment Repository Computer System (PRCS) Centre.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable Housing

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many low cost home-ownership schemes promoted by his Department do not involve means-tested entry requirements.

Keith Hill: The Right to Buy and Right to Acquire schemes, which give tenants of local authorities and housing associations the statutory right to purchase their rented home, are not means-tested, except that they are not available to tenants who have bankrupt petitions pending against them, are undischarged bankrupts, or have made arrangements with their creditors which remain unfulfilled.
	Other schemes, such as shared ownership, Homebuy and Key Worker Living, help social tenants, key workers and others on housing waiting lists into home ownership. These schemes, offered by housing associations with funding from the Housing Corporation, include affordability checks in the application process to ensure that purchasers can sustain the financial commitment of owner occupation.
	Voluntary sales by social landlords and cash grants offered by local authorities to tenants to free up their rented property are offered at the discretion of individual social landlords.

Affordable Housing

Helen Southworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he plans to take to increase the provision of affordable homes for people in Warrington.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently consulting on national policy for the provision of affordable housing in mixed communities. "Planning for Mixed Communities" was launched on 24 January and the consultation period ends on 15 April.
	The Government Office, with its regional partners, is considering the provision of affordable housing, as part of the reviews of the Regional Housing and Regional Spatial Strategies for the North West. The strategies are expected to be with Ministers in May and September respectively this year.
	The Government Office will be engaging with Warrington borough council about how best to take forward these issues through the council's development plan.

Arup Economics and Planning

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 21 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1557–58W, on Arup Economics and Planning, whether he has received the interim report on regional chambers from Arup Economics and Planning.

Nick Raynsford: The interim report is currently being finalised.

Buildings (Liverpool)

Hugo Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with which conservation bodies he has discussed his current plans to demolish buildings in Liverpool.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister works with English Heritage, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and other relevant bodies to provide guidance to the housing market renewal pathfinders and other major regeneration initiatives to ensure that historic character and local distinctiveness are used as positive drivers for regeneration and renewal both nationally and in the City of Liverpool.

Communities Plan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much central government plans to spend on the Communities Plan in each year of its implementation.

Keith Hill: The table provides an annual breakdown of spending on programmes included in the Communities Plan:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2003–04 6,754 
			 2004–05 7,658 
			 2005–06 7,865 
			 2006–07 8,209 
			 2007–08 8,802 
			 Total 39,289 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures are rounded to the nearest £ million.
	2. Totals may not add up, due to rounding.
	3. All figures are planned expenditure, except for 2003–04 where out-turn figures are shown.

Fire Service

Damian Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from (a) people and (b) organisations in Kent about the introduction of regional control rooms for the Fire Service.

Nick Raynsford: Four representations have been received from people and organisations in Kent regarding regional control centre—two from MPs, one from Kent Fire and Rescue Service and one from a member of the public.

High Hedges

John Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on progress in implementation of the high hedges provisions of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003; when constituents will be able to take relevant complaints to their local authority; and when his Department will issue guidelines to local authorities on implementation of the provision.

Phil Hope: In the light of responses to the consultation that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister conducted on implementing Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, we are currently revising the Regulations and guidance for local authorities. We intend to issue the guidance at the same time as we lay the Regulations before Parliament. We expect the provisions to be fully operational early in 2005, at which point people will be able to make a complaint to their local authority about a neighbouring high hedge.

Leasehold

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Public Sector Leasehold Working Party last met; and when it is scheduled to meet next.

Keith Hill: The working party last met on 16 May 2003. It is to be reconstituted, with a smaller membership and tighter focus, under the chairmanship of LEASE. LEASE's aim is for the first meeting of the new working party to be held in the first quarter of 2005.

Leasehold

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place minutes of the meetings of the Public Sector Leasehold Working Party since February 2002 in the Library.

Keith Hill: It will be arranged that summaries of the minutes of the meetings will be put in the Library of the House, and on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.

Leasehold

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the current work programme of the Public Sector Leasehold Working Party.

Keith Hill: A new work programme will be discussed at the first meeting of the reconstituted working party. This is expected to include leasehold management and strategic issues relating to Right to Buy.

Leasehold

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice his Department has issued on (a) the groups of local authority leaseholders who should not be recharged their full share of the cost of capital works on their blocks and (b) the loan and repayment options that should be made available to local authority leaseholders re-charged for their share of the cost of capital works on their blocks.

Keith Hill: In February 1997, the then Department of the Environment issued the Social Landlords Discretionary Reduction of Service Charges (England) Directions 1997 and the Social Landlords Mandatory Reduction of Service Charges (England) Directions 1997. These allow, and in specified circumstances require, local authorities and other social landlords to reduce service charges levied on owners of leasehold flats for repairs, maintenance and improvement carried out to their homes. Guidance to local authorities and other social landlords on reducing service charges to their leaseholders was issued at the same time. Copies of the Directions and the guidance note have been placed in the Library of the House.
	The Department issued the Housing (Service Charge Loans) Regulations 1992 giving tenants of flats a right to a loan in respect of service charges for repairs, where the lease was granted under the Right to Buy scheme. The repayment periods for the amounts secured by loans are included in the Regulations. The Regulations were amended by the Housing (Service Charge Loans) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2000. These allowed local authorities to set their own interest rates for discretionary loans. Copies of both sets of Regulations have been placed in the Library of the House. The information booklets for tenants: "Your right to buy your home" and "Thinking of buying a council flat?" published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and its predecessors both refer to the right to a loan.

Performance Assessment

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's expenditure on the (a) Comprehensive Performance Assessment and (b) Best Value regime was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The information is as follows:
	(a) Resources devoted to supporting the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) process in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2003–04 included staff within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister working directly on CPA, as well as a proportion of the time of staff across a wide range of other policy areas, and those at senior level, including Ministers with responsibility for local government policy. The total costs of the process will also have included a proportion of those relating to building, heating, lighting and computer equipment as well as stationery, postage and attending and arranging meetings and other events.
	It is not possible to identify the overall cost of all this activity. The total cost of staff working full-time on CPA in 2003–04 was approximately £172,248.
	(b) The cost to the Office of the Best Value regime amounted to £24,618,868 in 2003–04. This includes:
	Grant to the Audit Commission (this figure covers grant for inspections supporting Comprehensive Performance Assessment as well as other Best Value Inspections).
	Staff costs.
	Grant to the 41 best value parish councils to help them meet the cost of complying with their best value duties for 2003–04 and 2002–03. Principal local authorities also receive support for statutory responsibilities, including best value. However, it is not possible to provide a figure for this support, as the majority of it is provided through formula grant which is unhypothecated to a particular service.
	The cost of hosting the BVPI (Best Value Performance Indicators) interactive website and the User Satisfaction Survey website.
	Cost of letting contracts for the administration, management and analysis of triennial Best Value User Satisfaction Surveys.

Right to Buy

Andrew Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the local authorities whose request to be included within the scope of the Housing (Right to Buy) (Limits on Discount) (Amendments) Order 2003 (Statutory Instrument 2003 No. 498) was rejected; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: On 22 January 2003, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced that he was minded to lower to £16,000 the prescribed maximum Right to Buy discount limits in 42 areas which appeared to him to be subject to the greatest housing market pressures. He rejected the requests of the following 12 local authorities, that maximum discounts should also be lowered in their areas:
	Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
	Broxbourne Borough Council
	Cambridge City Council
	Council of the Isles of Scilly
	Luton Unitary Council
	Milton Keynes Unitary Council
	Sevenoaks District Council
	Slough Borough Council
	St Albans City and District Council
	South Cambridgeshire District Council
	South Oxfordshire District Council
	Thurrock Unitary Council
	My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister accepted that there were housing pressures in these areas, but was not persuaded at that time that these justified lowering the maximum Right to Buy discounts available to tenants. The authorities were informed by letters dated 6 March 2003.

Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act

Annette Brooke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will publish (a) draft and (b) final regulations relating to the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004.

Phil Hope: The 2004 Act expanded the existing powers in the Building Act 1984 to make Building Regulations. Regulations using the new powers relating to energy efficiency will be published in final form in summer 2005. The Building Regulations Advisory Committee is establishing working parties to consider what advice to give to Government on the use of the new powers relating to sustainability and security, with a view to consultation on draft regulations in late 2005 or 2006. Other Regulations will be consulted upon and finalised in due course.

HEALTH

MRI Scans

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce patient waiting times for MRI scans.

John Hutton: holding answer 3 February 2005
	Patients will be offered greater choice in where, when and how they access diagnostic services. By March 2006, the maximum wait for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan will be 26 weeks, reducing to 13 weeks by March 2007. In addition, national MRI mobile scanning is adding over 15 per cent., more capacity to the national health service, providing up to 131,000 more scans per year by 12 mobile units moving from location to location.

NHS Choice Pilot Schemes

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to provide information to general practitioners on how patient choice will be delivered.

John Hutton: The Department's delivery framework for choice was published in August 2004 and set out the basis on which strategic health authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs) should plan the delivery of choice and booking. The framework provides specific guidance for PCTs in their development and provision of information to support general practitioners in offering choice. The national health service is now preparing revised delivery plans to demonstrate progress in establishing commissioning arrangements, raising GP engagement and putting in place supporting technology systems. To support this, the NHS "Choose and Book" website at www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk provides a range of information on how patient choice will be delivered and the website www.nhs.uk will be enhanced to provide GPs and patients with comparative information to help them make decisions on choice.

PRIME MINISTER

Civil Servants

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in his Office was in each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04 and what the estimated cost will be in each year from 2004–05 to 2007–08; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I have therefore asked the Minister for the Cabinet Office my hon. Friend the Member for South Shields, (Mr. Miliband) to reply. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Intercept Evidence (Members of Parliament)

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether it is his policy that no (a) telephone tapping, (b) other interception of communications and (c) electronic surveillance shall be authorised in respect of hon. Members;
	(2)  on how many occasions since 1975, where the interception of communications instigated by hon. Members has been allowed, the interception has not yet been reported to the House.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock, (Andrew Mackinlay) on 7 May 2003, Official Report column 734W.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK military personnel were based at Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan in December 2002; how many had duties in connection with detainees; how many were operating with US forces in connection with detainees; whether any witnessed the killing of or assault upon any detainee; when his Department first became aware of the killing of detainees; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: In December 2002, there was a maximum of nine United Kingdom military personnel based at Bagram Airbase. None of these personnel had any duties connected to detainees and none have ever reported witnessing the killing or assault of any detainees.

Aircraft Carriers

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what conditions have been applied to the physical integrator contract awarded to KBR in respect of the yard where final assembly of the CVFs will take place.

Adam Ingram: No such contract has been awarded to any company. We anticipate announcing the outcome of the process to select the preferred Physical Integrator shortly. The MOD, as client, will retain unlimited right of veto over major decisions on the CVF programme including those relating to final assembly.

British Troops (Northern Ireland)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the proposed timetable for withdrawing British forces from Northern Ireland; whether troops will be redeployed; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There is no timetable for withdrawing British forces from Northern Ireland. The General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland continues to keep the number of personnel in Northern Ireland under regular review so as to provide the optimum support to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Colombian Army

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Colombian Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal units which receive UK military assistance are (a) discrete units and (b) integral parts of different Army battalions.

Adam Ingram: United Kingdom assistance in improving the Colombian authorities Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) capabilities is provided to selected individuals from a number of Colombian engineer units. We also provide EOD training to selected national police bomb disposal officers.

Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes dated 22 September, concerning the Dartmoor Rescue Group.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 20 December 2004
	The Ministry of Defence does not take the lead on the provision of search and rescue services in the United Kingdom, including mountain rescue. I am writing to the hon. Member today to explain in more detail the MOD's position regarding mountain rescue operations.

Defence Employment (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Analytical Services Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; what the figures were in each case in January 2004; what the personnel costs of the Agency are in 2004–05; and what they were in 2003–04.

Ivor Caplin: 180 full-time equivalent people worked for the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) on 1 January 2005, of which none worked in Scotland. The equivalent figures for 1 January 2004 were 170 and none.
	DASA's salary budget, including pension costs and ERNIC for 2004–05 is £6.5 million. The outturn figure for 2003–04, was published in the DASA Annual Report and Accounts for 2003–04, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

Departmental Contracts

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts in his Department have been granted to (a) EDS, (b) Fujitsu and (c) jointly in each of the last two years; whether they were open to competition; for what they were granted; for how much, and over what period of time; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: In calendar year 2003, 47 contracts were placed with EDS, with a value of £62.1 million and of these 29 were open to competition. Nine contracts were placed with Fujitsu, with a value of £22.5 million and two of these were open to competition.
	In calendar year 2004, 203 contracts were placed with EDS, with a value of £21.3 million and 56 of these were open to competition. 11 contracts were placed with Fujitsu with a value of £12.2 million and of these three were open to competition.
	The table indicates the type of work for which the contracts have been granted:
	
		
			  EDS Fujitsu 
			 Type of work 2003 2004 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Concept 3 — — — 
			 Assessment 1 2 — — 
			 Manufacture 1 4 1 3 
			 In-service 9 9 2 3 
			 Project support 5 1 — — 
			 External assistance — — — 1 
			 Provision of services 23 187 1 2 
			 Other 5 — 5 1 
			 Not recorded — — — 1 
		
	
	The majority of contracts with EDS for the "Provision of services" were Time and Material orders with a value below £100.
	We are not able to provide information regarding contracts placed jointly with EDS and Fujitsu or determine "over what period of time" the contracts have been placed, since to do so would necessitate contacting 22 Integrated Project Teams and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Eurofighter Typhoon

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Typhoon aircraft are in service with the Royal Air Force.

Adam Ingram: 10.

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of achieving closure of the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project agreements by 31 December.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is currently considering the progress made to date with AirTanker in single bidder discussions. We expect to make a decision shortly on whether AirTanker Ltd. should be accorded preferred bidder status for this complex and important PFI competition. We shall of course ensure that the House is kept fully informed of significant developments.

General Pinochet

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contacts the Government has had with General Augustus Pinochet since 1990 concerning military relations with Chile.

Geoff Hoon: From available records, senior UK military officers visiting Chile briefly met General Pinochet in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army, a position he held between 1990 and 1998, on a limited number of occasions. Two such meetings occurred with the visits in March 1995 of the then Chief of the Naval Staff, and in 1996 of the former Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. In addition, General Pinochet was present at a lunch attended by the then Secretary of State for Defence during his visit to Chile in December 1996. The UK Defence Attaché in Santiago met General Pinochet in the course of routine duties, and other British embassy staff did so at official state and military functions.

Iran

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether classified new equipment was seized from the armed forces by the Iranians on 21 June 2004.

Adam Ingram: No.

Joint Service Publications

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of Joint Service Publication 462, Financial Management Policy Manual.

Adam Ingram: Yes. An electronic version of Joint Service Publication (JSP) 462 on CD-ROM will be placed in the Library. Hard copies are no longer produced and are, therefore, not available.

Military Manoeuvres

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what manoeuvres or operations United Kingdom armed forces have conducted in (a) the Gulf of Guinea and (b) the Bight of Bonny since January 2003.

Adam Ingram: No operations have occurred in the Gulf of Guinea (Ghana to Angola) and the Bight of Bonny since 2003. The Atlantic Patrol Vessel (South) regularly transited the region over the period making routine port visits on route:
	HMS Lancaster/RFA Gold Rover transit July/August 2003
	HMS Glasgow/RFA Gold Rover transit November/December 2003
	HMS Cardiff/RFA Gold Rover transit April/May 2004
	HMS Iron Duke transit September 2004
	In addition to this routine maritime activity, the Royal Marines conducted a high profile and extremely successful bilateral Jungle Exercise Western Rhumba in Ghana in September/October 2004.

Military Operating Costs

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average annual operating costs in near cash terms of an (a) armoured infantry battalion, (b) mechanised battalion, (c) air assault battalion and (d) light role battalion regular were in financial years 2002–03 and 2003–04.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministerial Engagements

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the Ministerial engagements (a) out of London and (b) in London that he has cancelled since 1 January 2004.

Ivor Caplin: This information is not held since all cancelled engagements are removed from Ministers' diaries.

Nigeria

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the dates were of each visit conducted by UK military personnel to Nigeria since January 2003.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom has four military personnel resident in Nigeria. They comprise: the Defence Adviser and his assistant; the Commander of the British Defence Advisory Team in Nigeria; and a Liaison Officer to the military staff in the Secretariat of the Economic Community of West African States.
	To assist those in country, additional UK military officers and civilians visit from time to time. Complete information on the dates of such visits is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Private William Reyes

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the circumstances were of the death of Private William Reyes, service number 5320, at Holdfast camp; what the findings were of the court martial of the solider charged in connection with the fatal shooting; whether a Board of Inquiry was established to look into the circumstances of the death; what the findings were of the civil inquest into the death; and what financial payments have been made to the family of the deceased.

Ivor Caplin: There is no record of an individual of this name having served with the British armed forces.

Scottish Regiments

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a Black Watch soldier posted away from his battalion following the creation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland will be permitted to wear the Red Hackle.

Adam Ingram: It is too early to say what any soldier serving in the new Royal Regiment of Scotland will wear. The Colonel Commandant of the Scottish Division has recently formed a working group to consider future dress matters at which all Battalions, including the Black Watch, will be represented. The recommendations of the working group will be put to the Council of Scottish Colonels for approval in due course.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether departmental special advisers have been responsible for authorising instances of departmental spending since May 1997;
	(2)  whether departmental special advisers have given instructions to permanent civil servants without the explicit authorisation of Ministers since May 1997.

Ivor Caplin: I refer to the answer given on 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1259, by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Miliband). One special adviser currently has such powers.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

Ivor Caplin: I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Ruth Kelly) on 14 December 2004, Official Report, column 1004W.

Swan Hunter

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with Swan Hunter regarding a financial support package; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 January 2005, Official Report, column 381W. The Ministry of Defence does not provide financial support to the defence industry.
	The contract with Swan Hunter for the delivery of two Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) ships to the armed forces was recently amended following difficulties Swan Hunter had in meeting the original programme due to its underestimation of the engineering requirements in the design and construction of the ships. The £84 million revised contract does not offer the company a financial support package but one that offers the best value for money to the taxpayer in the delivery of these ships.
	The lead department for policy relating to Government financial support to industry is the Department of Trade and Industry with the responsibility for funding decisions devolved to Regional Development Agencies.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Government's plans are for (a) renewing and (b) replacing the Trident weapons system; when these plans were last reviewed; how often these plans have been reviewed since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 December 2004, Official Report, column 692W.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) missiles and (b) warheads are deployed on Trident submarines; what the approximate yield of the nuclear warheads deployed is; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 February 2004, Official Report, column 752W.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the role of the Trident programme in combating international terrorism; when this assessment was last (a) reviewed and (b) changed; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 30 January 2004, Official Report, column 577W.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Contracts

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the policy followed by his Department for the award of contracts of a value less than £100,000.

Hilary Benn: All DFID contracts must be let by trained staff. Contracts of less than £100,000 in value are not formally required to follow the competition process set by the public procurement regulations. DFID does run competition for this business, particularly in overseas markets, where this represents value for money. Where competition would involve a disproportionate cost for lower-value contracts trained staff have authority to negotiate directly with suppliers. DFID also makes increasing use of competitively-tendered central purchasing arrangements and framework agreements for low-value contacts.

Development Science

Tony McWalter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress is being made in the establishment of an advisory development science research board; and what mechanisms it will use to solicit representation.

Hilary Benn: I am setting up a small working group as suggested by the Science and Technology Committee to assess what objectives an "advisory Development Sciences Research Board" might fulfil, what form it might take and what additional funds would be appropriate. Professor Gordon Conway, DFID Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Sir David King, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, and Professor Sir Keith O'Nions, Director General Research Councils, are meeting in the next few weeks to take this forward.

Eritrea

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action his Department is taking with multilateral institutions in Eritrea to combat religious persecution of Christians.

Hilary Benn: The UK raises the issue of religious freedom with the Eritrean Government regularly. Our chargé d'affaires in Asmara last raised the issue on 18 January and my hon. Friend the Minister for Africa (Mr. Mullin), raised it with President Isaias during his visit to Eritrea in January last year. DFID will continue to make clear our concern.

TREASURY

2001 Census

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the last day for returning the 2001 census form was; how many such forms were issued by the Office for National Statistics (ONS); how many were returned to the ONS; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Mr. Len Cook to Mr. David Amess, dated 4 February 2005
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the last day for returning Census forms was, how many such forms were issued by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and how many were returned to the ONS. (213192)
	Forms had to be received on or before 06 July 2001 to be included in the regular processing system. For forms received after this date special measures were taken to ensure that they were included in the Census archive and that account was taken of them in the final results.
	In the three weeks prior to Census day (29 April 2001) Census forms were delivered to 21.7 million occupied households in England and Wales. Approximately 20.4 million of these forms were returned. Where forms were not returned the enumerator submitted a two page "dummy" form containing summary information. This information, together with findings from a large follow-up survey (the Census Coverage Survey), enabled adjustments to be made so as to account for the 1.3 million occupied households that did not return a Census form in the final results.
	Enumerators also identified and issued forms to approximately 0.9 million vacant households and second homes. Furthermore approximately 1.0 million individual forms were delivered and returned by people residing in communal establishments such as care homes, prisons and halls of residence. In total, over 24 million forms were issued.

2001 Census

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions were made for non-completion of the 2001 Census form, broken down by constituency.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 1 February 2005
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Amess, dated 4 February 2005
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions were made for non-completion of the Census form, broken down by constituency. (213166)
	The total number of prosecutions for non-compliance in England and Wales was 39. These are broken down by Parliamentary constituency in the attached table.
	
		2001 Census—England and Wales
		
			 Parliamentary constituency Number of prosecutions 
		
		
			 England and Wales 39 
			   
			 England 37 
			   
			 North East — 
			 Blaydon — 
			 Gateshead East and Washington West — 
			   
			 North West 5 
			 Blackpool South 1 
			 Cheadle 1 
			 Crosby 1 
			 Macclesfield 1 
			 Southport 1 
			   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2 
			 Colne Valley 1 
			 Keighley 1 
			   
			 East Midlands 6 
			 Ashfield 1 
			 High Peak 2 
			 Rutland and Melton 1 
			 South Holland and the Deepings 2 
			   
			 West Midlands  
			 Mid Worcestershire — 
			 East 5 
			 Mid Norfolk 1 
			 North East Bedfordshire 1 
			 North East Hertfordshire 1 
			 North Norfolk 1 
			 Saffron Walden 1 
			   
			 London 1 
			 Croydon South 1 
			   
			 South East 4 
			 Bracknell 1 
			 North Thanet 1 
			 Portsmouth South 2 
			   
			 South West 11 
			 Exeter 2 
			 Gloucester 1 
			 North Wiltshire 1 
			 Plymouth Sutton 1 
			 Somerton and Frome 1 
			 South West Devon 2 
			 Totnes 1 
			 Wells 1 
			 Westbury 1 
			   
			 Wales 2 
			 Bridgend 1 
			 Cardiff North 1

Departmental Policies (Burnley)

Peter Pike: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Burnley constituency, the effects on Burnley of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Stephen Timms: The Government have put in place a broad programme of both macroeconomic and microeconomic reform since our election in 1997 designed to better the economic performance of all parts of the UK. Since these policies were implemented the economic performance of the Burnley constituency has improved considerably. For example, since May 1997, claimant unemployment has fallen by 46 per cent. and both long-term unemployment and long-term youth unemployment have fallen by over three quarters.
	The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at Parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood.statistics. gov.uk./.

Cancer

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the survival rates for (a) all cancers and (b) each cancer classified by target organ were in the latest period for which figures are available; and what comparative information he collates on survival rates in other Western nations.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Andrew Murrison, dated 4 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what the survival rates for (a) all cancers and (b) each cancer classified by target organ were in the latest period for which figures are available; and what comparative information is collated on survival rates in other Western nations. (213143)
	Cancer survival rates are only produced for specific cancers. A figure giving the overall survival rate for all cancer patients is not produced as it would not be meaningful to combine figures for disparate conditions having very different survival rates.
	The latest available one- and five-year survival rates for the 20 most common cancers in England and Wales are for adult patients (aged 15–99 years) diagnosed during 1996–99 and followed up to 31 December 2001. These figures were published on the National Statistics website on 9th March 2004, and are available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdatasetasp?vlnk=7899
	Information on cancer survival in other Western nations is available for those countries within the European Union and is provided by the EUROCARE study. This covers parts of the UK and Europe. The most recently published results from this study provide information on survival up to five years after diagnosis for patients diagnosed with cancer during 1990–94 and followed up to the end of 1999. These results were published in:
	Berrino, F, Capocaccia, R, Coleman MP, et al. (editors) (2003). Survival of Cancer Patients in Europe: the EUROCARE-3 Study. Annals of Oncology. Volume 14, Supplement 5.
	This volume is available online at http://www.annonc.oupjournals.org/content/voll4/suppl_5/index.dtl

Court Fines

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been paid to the Exchequer from court fines in England in each year since 1995.

Dawn Primarolo: The table shows the total amount of fine income collected between 1994–95 and 2003–04. DCA forecast fine income to be £145 million in 2004–05.
	Traditionally all income from court fines has been returned to the consolidated fund and re-allocated through the spending review process. However since 2002–03 DCA has piloted a scheme aimed at increasing recovery rates of fines, in order to increase the effectiveness of the punishment as a deterrent. As part of this scheme DCA retain a proportion of the fine income to finance enforcement costs. DCA DEL was adjusted to take account of this new arrangement.
	
		Fine Revenue to the Exchequer—1995 to 2004
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1994–05 147.6 
			 1995–06 150.4 
			 1996–07 144.3 
			 1997–08 152.1 
			 1998–09 153.5 
			 1999–2000 145.0 
			 2000–01 131.0 
			 2001–02 124.6 
			 2002–03 120.3 
			 2003–04 133.3

Departmental Allocations

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Treasury has given directions to other Government Departments to make provision for a contingency reserve out of their existing departmental allocations; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The Treasury has recommended, consistent with best practice, that all Departments should set aside a Departmental Unallocated Provision (DUP) to help them manage any pressures within their agreed spending plans.

Economic Growth

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the projected rate of economic growth in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Chorley is in (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06.

Stephen Timms: HM Treasury does not produce economic forecasts for individual regions of the United Kingdom. However, I can report that the regional policies this Government have put in place to level up the performance of all regions to that of the best has seen the North West enjoying above UK average growth of GVA per capita in recent years and the highest employment and lowest unemployment since records began.

Employment Statistics

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of (a) married, (b) cohabiting and (c) lone mothers are in (i) part-time and (ii) full-time work.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Willetts, dated 4 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about mothers in employment. (213897)
	The attached table gives the estimates of the percentage of mothers with dependent children working full or part-time.
	These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	
		Percentage of mothers with dependent children workingfull or part-time; three months ending November 2004 -- Not seasonally adjusted
		
			   Percentage working: 
			 Mothers(27) with dependent children(28) Full-time Part-time 
		
		
			 Total 7,105,000 28.5 38.4 
			 Married 4,599,000 29.4 42.2 
			 Cohabiting 862,000 30.4 36.6 
			 Lone mothers 1,644,000 25.3 28.6 
		
	
	(27) Aged 16 and over.
	(28) Dependent children are those aged under 16 and those aged 16–18 who are in full-time education and have never married.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Euro

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the prevalence of the use of the euro in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Government has not made any assessment of euro-based transactions in the UK. Information on the use of the euro in the City of London and UK's external trade was published in Box 6.1 on Page 29 in the "Report on Euro Preparations, December 2004", available in the House of Commons Library.
	It is entirely a commercial decision for UK business to determine whether or not they wish to accept the euro or any other foreign currency.

Goodison Review

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what progress his Department has made in implementing the Goodison Review;
	(2)  which of the recommendations of the Goodison Review have yet to be implemented.

Stephen Timms: In the 2004 Spending Review the Government announced that:
	annual funding for the National Heritage Memorial Fund will double by 2007–08, compared to 2004–05;
	the Renaissance in the Regions programme for regional museums will be extended to all nine English regions; and
	the free access commitment, which currently covers the main national museums and galleries, and the VAT refund scheme that helps deliver free access, will be extended to university museums and galleries.
	Other recommendations relating to tax are being considered as part of our ongoing work. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport also plans to transfer administrative functions to the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (formerly Resource) as recommended by the Goodison Review.

Departmental Policies (Hemsworth)

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Hemsworth constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on Hemsworth constituency.

Stephen Timms: The Government have put in place a broad programme of both macroeconomic and microeconomic reform since our election in 1997 designed to better the economic performance of all parts of the UK. Since these policies were implemented, the economic performance of the Hemsworth constituency has improved considerably. For example, since May 1997, claimant unemployment has fallen by 68 per cent. and both long-term unemployment and long-term youth unemployment have nearly been eliminated, falling by 93 and 94 per cent. respectively.
	The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at Parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood.statistics. gov.uk./.

Learning and Skills Council

Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason his Department sanctioned the severance payment to John Harwood as Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury approved the final severance package for John Harwood, former Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council, on the basis that under the circumstances it represented value for money for the taxpayer.

Parking

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on (a) provision of parking spaces for civil servants and (b) parking tickets and penalties incurred by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: These costs are not separately identifiable.

Winter Fuel Payments

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide funding to the Department for Work and Pensions to allow it to increase the winter fuel allowance to pensioners.

Stephen Timms: Winter fuel payments are paid at a level of £200 a year to qualifying households with someone aged over 60 rising to £300 for households with someone aged over 80. This benefits over 11 million households.
	The Government are committed to maintaining winter fuel payments at this level for the rest of this Parliament

Pre-Budget Report

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the measures contained in the pre-Budget report on (a) pensioners, (b) working families, (c) parents and (d) unemployed people in Ogmore.

Stephen Timms: The 2004 pre-Budget report announced increased financial support for working families and for pensioners.
	Some 11,300 pensioners in Ogmore will benefit from increases in the Basic State Pension from April 2005. The 3,786 pensioners in Ogmore who currently claim pension credit will benefit from the decision to increase the guarantee element in line with earnings. Those aged 70 or over will also benefit from an extra £50 payment to help with their council tax and other living expenses.
	From April 2005 the child element of the child tax credit will increase, in line with average earnings, by £65 to £1,690 a year. Some 3,300 working families with 6,000 children in Ogmore are expected to benefit.
	From 1999–2000 to 2003–04 the employment rate in Ogmore rose by 10.9 percentage points to 68.8 per cent. The claimant count unemployment rate in Ogmore fell from 3.7 per cent. to 2.4 per cent. over the same period. Since 1997, the new deal has helped over 1,800 people into jobs in Ogmore.

Saving Plans

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the estimated total cost to the Treasury would be if the premiums of tax exempt saving plans were raised to £600 per annum;
	(2)  when a review of the premium limits of tax-exempt saving plans was last conducted.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 3 February 2005
	The estimated current cost of tax-exempt savings plans, with an annual premium limit of £300 is around £70 million per year and in recent years this cost has been increasing at an annual rate of about 10 per cent. Increasing the limit to £600 per annum would potentially cost the Exchequer an extra £30 million per year in the long run. Doubling the limit does not double the cost because many tax-exempt savings plan customers do not save at the current maximum.
	In line with all taxes and reliefs, the premium limits for tax-exempt savings plans are reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the occasions between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 when special advisers attended meetings with external representatives at which ministers were not present.

Stephen Timms: Special Advisers hold meetings with a wide range of external representatives in their official capacity. All such meetings are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Staff Training

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The total costs for staff training in the core Treasury, from the ledgers for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are £1,847,521 and £1,906,403 respectively. The Department's accounting system does not make a distinction between training days and development days held away from the Department. Information in respect of the earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Stationery

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Department spent on (a) stationery and (b) office supplies in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury's spending on stationery was £380,000 in 2002–03 and £308,000 in 2003–04. The Department's accounting system does not make a distinction between stationery and office supplies. Information in respect of the earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Tobacco Taxes

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total tax take from cigarettes and cigars and connected products has been in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: Duty receipts for tobacco products can be found in the HM Customs and Excise "Tobacco Bulletin", which is available in the Library of the House of Commons and from HM Customs and Excise website address at http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bulltobac
	HM Customs and Excise do not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services.

Tobacco, Alcohol, Pubs and Restaurants (Employment)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed in (a) the manufacture and retail of cigarettes, cigars and connected businesses, (b) public houses and restaurants and (c) the alcoholic drinks industry in the United Kingdom.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Laurence Robertson, dated 4 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about numbers of people employed in selected alcohol and tobacco-related industries in the UK. (214058)
	Estimates of employment by industry are derived from employer surveys and statistics are available on number of jobs, not numbers of people.
	Estimates are classified according to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2003. The attached table shows the number of jobs in alcohol and tobacco-related industries in Great Britain, in December 2003, the latest period available.
	
		Number of employee jobs(29) in selected tobacco andalcohol related industries: Great Britain, 2003
		
			  Industry and SIC03 code(30) Number 
		
		
			 1600 Manufacture of tobacco products 3,200 
			 5125 Wholesale of unmanufactured tobacco(31)  
			 5135 Wholesale of tobacco products 3,500 
			 5226 Retail sale of tobacco products 17,200 
			
			 5530 Restaurants(32) 586,700 
			 5540 Bars(33) 536,600 
			
			 1591 Manufacture of distilled potable alcoholic beverages 9,800 
			 1592 Production of ethyl alcohol from fermented materials(31)  
			 1593 Manufacture of wines 500 
			 1594 Manufacture of cider and other fruit wines 1,300 
			 1595 Manufacture of other non-distilled fermented beverages(31)  
			 1596 Manufacture of beer 18,400 
			 1597 Manufacture of malt 2,200 
			 5134 Wholesale of alcoholic and other beverages 26,500 
			 5225 Retail sale of alcoholic and other beverages 37,400 
			
			 5117 Agents involved in the sale of food, beverages and tobacco(34) 4,100 
			 5139 Non-specialised wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco(34) 73,700 
			 5211 Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating(35) 1,021,300 
			 5227 Other retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores(35) 28,400 
		
	
	(29) Estimates are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	(30) Estimates are classified according to the Standard Industrial Classification 2003.
	(31) Estimates are suppressed under the 1947 Statistics of trade, preventing the release of data that may disclose companies.
	(32) Estimates include some unlicensed restaurants and cafes.
	(33) Estimates include some unlicensed clubs.
	(34) Estimates include agents involved in sale of food.
	(35) Estimates include jobs in outlets which sell large variety of goods, of which however food products, beverages or tobacco are predominant.
	Source:
	Annual Business Inquiry 2003.

UK Coins

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost is of minting each UK coin.

Stephen Timms: The costs of minting individual coins are commercially confidential.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Witness Care

Vera Baird: To ask the Solicitor-General what monitoring the Crown Prosecution Service carries out of the standard of witness care by the Bar in (a) criminal and (b) rape trials.

Harriet Harman: On their cycle of inspections Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate investigate the quality of the prosecution service as a whole including that provided by the Bar on behalf of the local Area. They do so by monitoring files, advocates and, discussing performance issues with other criminal justice system stakeholders, including the judiciary. They formally report on their findings.
	In addition, a number of CPS Areas have in place local, arrangements in respect of monitoring of the Bar in relation to the prosecution of rape trials and criminal trials generally and this includes in some Areas monitoring the standard of witness care provided by counsel. Examples include monitoring of counsel by experienced caseworkers, CPS rape specialists attending for part of the trial to observe, and by addressing monitoring with the Heads of Chambers and at Joint Advocates Selection Committee as appropriate.

Rape Trials

Vera Baird: To ask the Solicitor-General what instructions are given to the Bar by the Crown Prosecution Service about dealing with defence applications to cross-examine about previous sexual history in rape trials which are not made in advance of the trial.

Harriet Harman: The instructions given by the Crown Prosecution Service to the Bar regarding defence applications to cross-examine complainants about previous sexual history in rape trials are provided in the CPS Instructions to Prosecuting Advocates booklet. The booklet is published on the CPS website www.cps.gov.uk. It states:
	"Sections 41–43 of the Act (restriction on evidence or questions about a complainant's sexual history) were brought into effect on 4 December 2000, The House of Lords has considered this aspect of the legislation in the case of R. v. A. (judgment 17 May 2001).
	In that case, the House held that prior consensual relationship between the complainant and the defendant might in some circumstances be relevant to the issue of consent. However, all the Law Lords accepted that the complainant must not be treated unfairly. The judgment emphasises "the presumption of exclusion" under the Act. Consequently, advocates should encourage the court to consider section 41 in the context of the judgment overall To do otherwise may lessen the practical effect of the reforms contained in section 41.
	It is essential that advocates are robust in dealing with applications under section 41 and that the correct procedure is followed to ensure that inappropriate questioning does not take place.
	If the court grants leave to cross-examine a complainant about previous sexual history, it will be essential to review the position relating to special measures. It may be necessary to make an application to the court for one or more of the special measures provided by the Act or to apply to vary a pre-existing direction".
	In addition, the CPS instructs experienced counsel in rape cases ensuring that scrutiny of defence applications, if made at trial, to admit evidence of previous sexual history takes place and inappropriate applications are countered, robustly.

Rape Trials

Vera Baird: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  what the conviction rate in contested rape trials was in 2004 in (a) England and (b) the jurisdiction of the Teesside Crown court;
	(2)  what percentage of defendants charged with rape pleaded guilty during 2004 in (a) England and (b) the jurisdiction of the Teesside Crown court.

Harriet Harman: The jurisdiction for Teesside Crown court is national. Teesside Crown court is in, Cleveland whose statistics are given as follows.
	The conviction rate in contested rape trials in 2004 was 37.7 per cent. in England and Wales, and 27.3 per cent. in Cleveland.
	The percentage of defendants charged with rape who pleaded guilty during 2004 was 13.6 per cent. in England and Wales, and 12.5 per cent. in Cleveland.

Departmental Staff

John Mann: To ask the Solicitor-General what percentage of the Law Officers' Departments' staff is based in London.

Harriet Harman: Information, on regional distribution of staff is available in the Libraries of both Houses, and also at: http//www.civilservice.gov. uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/contents_for_civil_service_statistics_2003_ report/index.asp
	Table D shows the numbers of staff by regional distribution.
	The figure for HMCPS Inspectorate for the same period, which is not recorded separately in that publication, is 74 per cent. of staff based in London.
	Figures relating to 1 April 2004 are due to be published during February 2005.

TRANSPORT

Highways Agency Traffic Officers

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the uniformed Highways Agency traffic officers will be paid; and how much has been spent on recruitment costs to date.

Alistair Darling: Uniformed traffic officers in the west midlands are paid a starting salary of £16,171, rising to a maximum of £20,200. They receive an additional allowance of up to 20 per cent. for shift working. Rates for the south-east will be determined having regard to market rates.
	The overall estimated cost of recruitment is £200,000.

New Car Registrations

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new car registrations there were in the year to 31 December 2004 (a) in total, (b) by volume and (c) by percentage in the (i) AAA: under 100, (ii) AA: 101–120, (iii) A: 121–150, (iv) B: 151–165, (v) C: 166–185, (vi) D.1: 186–200, (vii) D.2: 201–225, (viii) D.3: 226–250, (ix) D.4: 251–275, (x) D.5: 276–300, (xi) D.6: 301–350, (xii) D.7: 351–400, (xiii) D.8: 401–450, (xiv) D.9: 451–500 and (xv) D.10: 501+ carbon dioxide g/km band.

Alistair Darling: The number of new cars registered between 1 January 2004 and September 30 2004 (the latest month for which figures are available) in total, is 2,107,329. The number of vehicles which would fall into the bands requested are:
	
		
			 Band CO 2  range January to September 2004 Percentage 
		
		
			 Band AAA Up to 100 13 0.0 
			 Band AA 101–120 65,359 3.1 
			 Band A 121–150 636,041 30.2 
			 Band B 151–165 458,379 21.8 
			 Band C 166–185 366,085 17.4 
			 Band Dl 186–200 159,427 7.6 
			 Band D2 201–225 164,559 7.8 
			 Band D3 226–250 95,371 4.5 
			 Band D4 251–275 43,780 2.1 
			 Band DS 276–300 38,796 1.8 
			 Band D6 301–350 11,285 0.5 
			 Band D7 351–400 5,045 0.2 
			 Band D8 401–450 2,389 0.1 
			 Band D9 451–500 395 0.0 
			 Band D1O 500+ 57 0.0 
			 Unknown — 60,348 2.9 
			 Total — 2,107,329 100.0

Railway Track Removal (High Marnham/Shirebrook)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) economic and (b) environmental impact assessment has been made of the decision to remove the railway track between High Marnham and Shirebrook.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 3 February 2005
	Network Rail inform me that no decision has been made to remove this track, which only serves a disused power station and is currently not used by any freight or passenger traffic. Powergen, the owners of the power station, are considering options for the future of the site.

Trust Ports

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department supports the harbour revision order application submitted by Dover Harbour Board.

David Jamieson: holding answer 1 February 2005
	I will be writing to the hon. Member very shortly setting out the Government's position in respect of recent HRO applications made by Dover and other port authorities to which he has objected.

Tyne Crossing

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a decision concerning the application by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority to build a new Tyne crossing; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The application by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority (TWPTA) for an order under the Transport and Works Act to authorise a new Tyne crossing was considered at a public inquiry in March 2003. The Department received the inspector's report in September 2003. However, in February 2004 the TWPTA informed the Department that they were reviewing the powers they needed to implement their scheme and, in September 2004, they formally requested many significant changes to their draft order. In the interests of fairness, other interested parties were given an opportunity to make representations to the Department about those changes. Those exchanges concluded in December and the responses are being considered.
	Furthermore, the TWPTA's proposed changes to the order have raised a substantial number of detailed drafting points on which my Department has sought clarification. We still await a response from the TWPTA to the drafting points we have raised. Once we receive satisfactory answers we will make every effort to proceed to a decision as quickly as possible.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Care Workers

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister for Women pursuant to her oral answer of 27 January 2005, Official Report, columns 450–51, on pay rates for women employed in social care, what the evidential basis was for her statement on the level of the median female hourly wage; and what the (a) average and (b) modal hourly figures for pay rates for women in the social care sector are.

Patricia Hewitt: The evidential basis of my statement in my answer of 27 January 2005, Official Report, columns 450–51, was the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (2004) conducted by the Office for National Statistics.
	(a) The average (mean) hourly pay for all women in the social care sector is £10.36.
	(b) Modal pay rates are not available from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

Equal Pay

Mark Fisher: To ask the Minister for Women if she will make a statement on the relative rates of pay for women and for men in Stoke-on-Trent.

Patricia Hewitt: The hourly rates of pay, based on Office for National Statistics data and excluding overtime, in Stoke on Trent Unitary Authority are listed in the table.
	
		
			  Male Female 
			  Median Mean Median Mean 
		
		
			 Stoke on Trent   
			 All 8.35 9.82 6.47 8.04 
			 Full-time 8.56 9.95 7.43 8.42 
			 Part-time 5.48 6.29 5.50 6.62 
			  
			 UK 
			 All 10.60 13.54 7.95 10.41 
			 Full-time 11.04 13.73 9.46 11.21 
			 Part-time 6.01 9.36 6.27 8.19

Equal Pay

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister for Women pursuant to her oral answer of 27 January 2005, Official Report, columns 450–51, on rates of pay for men and women, what the evidential basis of the figure for the gender pay gap was.

Patricia Hewitt: The evidential basis of my statement in my answer of 27 January 2005, Official Report, columns 450–51, was the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (2004) conducted by the Office for National Statistics. The gender pay gap figure of 14.4 per cent. was derived from the difference in the median hourly pay of men and women working full-time, excluding overtime.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Animal Experiments

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what requirements are placed on UK manufacturers to publish (a) the number and (b) the severity of experimental tests carried out on animals for the purposes of household products; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: There is no requirement for manufacturers to publish such information. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office on 10 January 2005, Official Report, columns 267–68W, regarding the use of animals in the testing of household products.

Animal Experiments

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what record is kept by her Department regarding the number of imported products which have been developed using experimental testing on animals.

Patricia Hewitt: There is no requirement for a record to be kept of such products and none is kept. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office on 10 January 2005, Official Report, columns 267–68W, regarding the use of animals in the testing of household products.

Civil Partnerships Act

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date the registration provisions for civil partnerships in the Civil Partnerships Act 2004 will come into force.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government have indicated that the Civil Partnership Act will be brought into force about a year after Royal Assent. A specific date for the commencement of civil partnership will be announced in due course.

Clergy Terms of Service

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Report of the Church of England's Review of Clergy Terms of Service with particular reference to section 23 of the Employment Relations Act 1999.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We have been following the Church of England's review, and I chaired the last meeting of the clergy working group on 26 January 2005, where this was raised. We are keen that the clergy should be appropriately treated, and welcome all proposals that will result in this outcome.

Computer/Video Games

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent estimate she has made of (a) how many children play computer and video games on a regular basis and (b) how many hours a week on average children play computer and video games.

Patricia Hewitt: Neither my Department nor the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has estimates of the number of children who regularly play computer and video games, nor the average length of time they spend on this activity.

Energy Bills

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what discussions her Department has had with energy suppliers regarding the (a) accuracy, (b) comprehensibility and (c) timeliness of their bills; and what the outcome has been of those discussions;
	(2)  what discussions her Department has had with Ofgem regarding the accuracy, comprehensibility and timeliness of the bills sent by energy suppliers to their customers; and what the outcome has been of those discussions.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has regular discussions with the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) and suppliers about a range of consumer issues, including billing. My officials are working with the industry, Ofgem and Energywatch on establishing industry-wide standards that address remaining billing problems. We welcome steps being considered by the companies to make billing easier to comprehend.

Energy Bills

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the impact of inaccurate energy bills on consumer debt;
	(2)  if she will require energy suppliers to provide consumers with a bill based on an actual meter reading at least twice in each calendar year; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Under legislation the rules governing meter-readings are the responsibility of the independent regulator, Ofgem. Under their supply licences, gas and electricity suppliers are obliged to ensure that customers' meters are physically read and inspected once every two years, although suppliers will seek to read meters more frequently. Where meter-readers are unable to read the meter, the supplier will estimate usage, and this will be reflected in the bill. Customers may provide their own meter readings instead of accepting an estimated bill. The supplier must accept that reading.
	Ofgem figures show that, in September 2004, 1,526,349 electricity and 1,289,419 gas customers were repaying debt to their suppliers. Ofgem does not collect data on how many customers are in debt due to inaccurate billing.

Departmental Staff

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time members of staff in her Department, excluding agencies and secondees, are working on issues relating to (i) electricity generation from coal, (ii) electricity generation from gas, (iii) nuclear power and (iv) renewable energy; and if she will estimate what average proportion of their time is spent on these issues.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 31 January 2005
	The structure of DTI's Energy Group is such that a number of teams handle various cross-cutting issues concerning the supply of energy as a whole, rather than electricity generation from specific energy sources. The division of staff time by fuel type is therefore not readily available.
	However, the approximate numbers of full-time equivalent staff working in these areas in January 2005 were as follows:
	(i) and (ii) around 60 staff work on issues relating to domestic energy markets (including electricity and other fuel sources);
	(iii) around 30 staff work on a range of nuclear issues, primarily decommissioning, safety and security policy. In the Shareholder Executive, approximately four staff monitor the operation of British Energy and British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL), including electricity generation and all other BNFL services;
	(iv) around 40 staff work on a number of issues relating to renewable energy.

European Union (Egality)

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on European Communities planned actions in the field of egality, with particular reference to projects arising from COM (2004) 352.

Patricia Hewitt: The UK Government participate in the European Commission's Monitoring Committee on the Fifth Action Programme for Equal Opportunities. This includes projects arising from COM (2004).

Extended Warranties (White Goods)

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on reform of the extended warranty market for domestic electrical goods.

Patricia Hewitt: The Competition Commission report "Extended Warranties on Domestic Electrical Goods" (CM 6089–1) presented to Parliament in December 2003 concluded that the market was not working as well as it should. The Government accepted the Competition Commission findings and following public consultation has taken steps to implement the remedies recommended by the Commission. Measures to reform the market are set out in The Supply of Extended Warranties on Domestic Electrical Goods Order 2005 and related DTI Press Release P/2005/13 issued on 12 January 2005.

Farmers Markets

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will invite the North West Regional Development Agency to assess the contribution of farmers markets to the economy in the North West.

Patricia Hewitt: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Agency to write to my hon. Friend: a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the objectives of British commercial policy in Iraq.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government want to see a vibrant private sector in Iraq that will create jobs and economic growth for the Iraqi people in the future. We also want to see UK companies play a substantial role in the reconstruction of Iraq's essential infrastructure. It is essential that the right skills and resources are utilised in the reconstruction process. The UK private sector has many of these.

Mobile Phone Advertising

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether she has discussed with Ofcom the control of advertising of mobile phone services through media products with a high level of readership among children.

Mike O'Brien: The control of advertising of mobile phone services is not a matter for Ofcom.
	The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (2000) recommended a precautionary approach towards the use of mobile phones by children and recommended that the mobile network industry should refrain from promoting the use of mobile phones by children.
	In line with the IEGMP's precautionary approach, the mobile operators reviewed their marketing policies to ensure they do not actively market mobile phones to under-16s.
	The report by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) in January 2005 endorsed this precautionary approach. The Government are currently considering the findings of the NRPB report and will be discussing them with industry, including the recommendation related to promoting phone use by children.

National Minimum Wage

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Bassetlaw residents are benefiting from the national minimum wage.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is unlikely that figures will be obtainable for Bassetlaw due to small sample size.
	The latest low pay data from the ONS show that 1.1 million people in the UK stood to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the National Minimum Wage. The DTI will provide estimates of National Minimum Wage beneficiaries by region as soon as possible. These figures will be made available in the House of Commons Library.

Official Residences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the official residences for which her Department is responsible; who occupies each one; what the annual cost is of running each property; what contribution the current occupants make towards the running costs of each; what the total capital and refurbishment expenditure has been on those properties in each of the past five years; how much money was spent in each property on (a) flowers and plants, (b) wine and entertaining, (c) food, (d) telephone bills and (e) electricity and gas in 2003–04; how many (i) domestic and (ii) maintenance staff are employed at each property, broken down by post; and what the total cost of staff employment at each was in 2003–04.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department is not responsible for any government owned official residences.

Post Office Card Accounts

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the length is of the contract between her Department and Post Office Ltd. for the Post Office card account service.

Chris Pond: I have been asked to reply.
	The contract between POL and DWP commenced on the 22 March 2002 and ends on 31 March 2010.

Post Office Card Accounts

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who has assisted her Department in the monitoring of the Post Office card account service.

Chris Pond: I have been asked to reply.
	A contract exists between the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Post Office Ltd. (POL) for the provision of the Post Office card account service. The contract is managed within DWP by professionally qualified purchasing staff. POL's delivery of the Service to specified requirements is monitored using recognised contract management tools such as regular Service Review meetings, to ensure compliance and early resolution of any issues.

Post Office Card Accounts

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what service standards have been set for the monitoring of her Department's contract with Post Office Ltd. for the Post Office card account service; and who set those standards.

Chris Pond: I have been asked to reply.
	Three contracts exist between Government Departments and Post Office Ltd. (POL) for the provision of the Post Office card account Service. One contract each with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Inland Revenue (IR) and the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland (DSD). DWP is responding to this question as the largest user of the Service.
	The contracts between POL and the Government Departments contain service standards that were jointly negotiated with POL by DWP, IR and DSD when the provision of Post Office card account banking services was being agreed.
	The service standards dictate the level to which the Services shall be provided and cover:
	The timely crediting of payments to Account Holders
	The return of unapplied Direct Credits
	The time taken to open a Post Office card account
	Queuing times at Post Office Branches
	Call answering times at the Post Office Freephone Call Centre
	Availability of the Freephone number
	Call answering times at the Post Office Lo-Call Call Centre
	Availability of the Lo-Call number
	Replacement of a lost/stolen card using the post procedure
	Replacement of a card using the urgent replacement procedure
	Avoidance of duplicate accounts
	Use of Chip/PIN cards
	Issue of quarterly statements to account holders
	Despatch of replacement PINs
	Availability of open Post Office Branches

Software Patent Directive

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the status is of the EU software patent directive; if she will make it her policy to oppose the directive as it stands; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 31 January 2005
	The Government support measures to ensure common criteria for patents in this area across the EU and believes it is important to confirm the current position of permitting the patenting of certain types of software-related inventions important to many high tech industries, while preventing a drift towards widening the scope of patentability. We believe the current text achieves this.
	The text of the draft Directive is due to be formally adopted by the Council as a "common position". Once it has been adopted it will return to the European Parliament for Second Reading.

Trade Associations

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to encourage trade associations to play a greater role in helping to regulate their industries.

Patricia Hewitt: The DTI continually maintains close and regular contact with trade associations to discuss a range of policy issues, including industry regulation. Trade associations are routinely invited to participate in consultations on new policy and legislative proposals.

Unallocated Departmental Spending

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, and (c) 2007–08; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: We are currently finalising detailed resource allocations as part of the Department's business planning. Plans for unallocated departmental spending for 2005–08 will be included in the DTI's departmental report, which will be published later this year.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bangladesh

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the state of religious freedom in Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Bangladeshi constitution recognises Islam as the state religion of Bangladesh, but emphasises that other religions may be practised in peace and harmony. However, we are concerned by the apparent increase in intolerance towards religious minorities, including Hindus and the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, in Bangladesh. We regularly raise these concerns with the Government of Bangladesh, both bilaterally and in partnership with EU colleagues. I did so with the Prime Minister on 21 December during a visit to Dhaka.

Bangladesh

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports of religious persecution in Bangladesh his Department has received from (a) individuals and (b) the Bangladeshi Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council in each year since 1997; what assessment his Department has made of these reports; what discussions (i) he, (ii) members of his Department and (iii) representatives of the UK Government have had with members and representatives of the Government of Bangladesh regarding these complaints; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, we regularly receive representations on this matter from a number of sources including the Bangladesh Hindu Baudha Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC). Officials in London and Dhaka have regular contact with the BHBCUC— the British High Commissioner in Dhaka met Dr. Bhowmik, General Secretary of the BHBCUC on 22 December. We continue to be concerned about the situation of religious minorities in Bangladesh. I raised these concerns with the Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, on 21 December during a visit to Dhaka. We have regularly raised issues of religious persecution and intolerance with the Bangladeshi authorities, both bilaterally and with EU colleagues. We urge them to ensure minorities are suitably protected, that all incidents are promptly and fully investigated, that the perpetrators of crimes against religious minorities are brought to justice and that firm action is taken against incitement. We shall continue to do so.

Bangladesh

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairsif he will make a statement on what action he has taken following the bomb attacks on the British envoy in Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Douglas Alexander: Following the attack on 21 May last year, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a statement expressing shock at the attack in Sylhet in which three people died and our High Commissioner was injured. A copy of the statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases. Specialist officers from the Metropolitan police visited Sylhet shortly after the event to assist the Bangladeshi police with the investigation. They made a second visit to Bangladesh in July and have continued to provide assistance to the Bangladeshi authorities. In our bilateral contacts with the Government of Bangladesh, we have consistently stressed the importance of the investigation reaching a conclusion. 1 emphasised this point to the Prime Minister on 21 December during a visit to Dhaka.

Consultants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total expenditure by his Department on external consultants was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) 2003–04; and what the estimated cost of employing external consultants will be in (i) 2004–05, (ii) 2005–06, (iii) 2006–07 and (iv) 2007–08.

Denis MacShane: The total expenditure by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on external consultants in 1996–97 was £11.8 million and in 2003–04 was £23.2 million.
	The vast majority of our expenditure on external consultants is associated with our major Information Communications Technology (ICT) and Estate Construction programmes. Consultants also advise on legal, financial and personnel issues and provide support in areas where we have skills shortages. Increasing expenditure over recent years is largely associated with the growth in our ICT programme which is being used to support change in the organisation. Expenditure on consultants from 2002–03 to 2003–04 has reduced by £0.5 million. We would therefore anticipate expenditure in future years to level out or reduce in line with this trend. Collating forecast expenditure figures for the financial years outlined could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Contracts

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many contracts in his Department have been granted to (a) EDS, (b) Fujitsu and (c) EDS and Fujitsu jointly in each of the last two years; whether they were open to competition; for what they were granted; for how much; over what period of time; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has had no joint EDS/Fujitsu contracts. Contracts granted to EDS and Fujitsu separately over each of the last two years are listed:
	
		£
		
			 EDS
			 Title Competition Cost Duration 
		
		
			 Network Storage Solution Yes (through GCAT)* 500,000 29 March 2004–29 March 2007 
			 Fujitsu — — — 
			 FCONet Phase Yes (through SCAT)* 1,087,000 28 March 2003–29 March 2007 
			 FCONet Phase No—single source addition for compatibility reasons, to an earlier contract that was open to competition 2,077,000 — 
			 Warning Index OnLine(WIOL) No—for compatibility reasons this was an addition to a Home Office contract which was open to competition. 2,400,000 2001 April 2003 to 31 March 2005 
		
	
	The FCO seeks to award all of its contracts through open competition according to the EU Procurement Regulations, based on best value for money.
	Office of Government Commerce Goods and Services Catalogues (GCAT & SCAT).

EU Grants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under which (a) budget lines and (b) projects UK organisations may apply for money from the European Communities for (i) communications and (ii) information work relating to the Communities.

Denis MacShane: The Institutions of the European Union are responsible for their own activities in terms of providing information to the public. Further details can be obtained from the UK Representations of the European Union's Institutions, contact details of which can be found at www.cec.org.uk, www.europarl.org.uk and www.europe.eu.int.

Indonesia

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department's officials have recommended the suspension of arms sales to Indonesia in the last year.

Douglas Alexander: The advice of officials is an internal matter.
	All export license applications for Indonesia are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria taking account of the circumstances prevailing at the time.

Iran

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to (a) international organisations and (b) non-governmental organisations concerning monitors for the forthcoming Iranian presidential elections.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any such representations. We hope the elections will be free and fair, in line with Iran's international obligations. We will follow closely the election arrangements, including the vetting of candidates.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) officials in his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with members and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross concerning their assessment of the (i) nature and (ii) condition of the detention of Dr. Amir al-Saadi since his surrender in April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Dr. al-Saadi was being held by US forces as a security internee because he was deemed to pose an imperative threat to security. As such, the International Committee of the Red Cross would have had regular access to Dr. al-Saadi, as they do to all detainees held by the US. Their reports are confidentially passed to the US and Iraqi authorities. Dr. al-Saadi was released by the US on 18 January 2005.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the role played by Amir Al-Saadi in Saddam Hussein's regime from 1981 to 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Dr. Al-Saadi is well known for his involvement in Iraq's Declaration on Weapons of Mass Destruction to the UN in December 2002. After the collapse of Saddam's regime, the US authorities in Iraq detained him as he was deemed to pose an imperative threat to security. He was released by the US on 18 January 2005.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under whose authority Amir Al-Saadi has been detained since his surrender in April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Multi-National Forces in Iraq have the authority (in accordance with Security Council resolution 1546) to intern individuals who are deemed to pose an imperative threat to security. Dr. Al-Saadi was held by the US until his release on 18 January 2005.

Iraq

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date the Government were first informed of the allegations that the Coalition Provisional Authority had mismanaged funds during the occupation of Iraq.

Denis MacShane: Audit reports, conducted by KPMG on behalf of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB), on Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) management of the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) from 22 May to 31 December 2003 were first released by the IAMB on 15 July 2004.
	Although concerns were raised about the contracting of oil sales by the Iraqi State Oil Marketing Organisation and the absence of metering on Iraqi oil pipelines, the main conclusion of the auditor's report was that
	"all known oil proceeds . . . have been properly and transparently accounted for in the DFI".
	Audit reports by the IAMB are available at www.iamb.info.

Iraq

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what auditing assistance and financial administrative support the Government have (a) offered and (b) provided to the Coalition Provisional Authority during the occupation of Iraq.

Denis MacShane: In the period up to 28 June 2004 up to six UK Government officials, and a team of professional contractors employed by the UK Government, provided financial administrative support to Iraqi Ministries and offices in Baghdad, Basra and the northern Governorates.
	The auditing function of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was carried out by officials and professionals supplied by other members of the coalition, who worked alongside the firm of international auditors employed to undertake the audit of CPA management of the Development Fund for Iraq on behalf of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB). The UK was instrumental in setting up the IAMB, which oversees the auditing of Iraq's oil revenues and their management by the Coalition, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483 of 22 May 2003.

Iraq

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether UK (a) personnel, (b) contractors and (c) companies are involved in the allegations of mismanagement of Iraqi reconstruction funds by the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Denis MacShane: We are not aware of any UK personnel, contractors or companies involved in allegations of mismanagement of Iraqi reconstruction funds by the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Iraq

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the US Special Inspector-General for Iraqi Reconstruction's report into mismanagement of funding for Iraqi reconstruction during the occupation of Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: We welcome the work by the US Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) which is a necessary measure to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of Iraqi oil revenues. The SIGIR report examines whether the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) established and implemented adequate managerial, financial and contractual controls over disbursements made to Iraqi Ministries. The report states that CPA accounting procedures were insufficient.
	CPA procedures were deficient by the standard of western governments, but the SIGIR report must be considered alongside the following points:
	The difficult operating conditions in Iraq, which meant that procedures were sped up to get Ministries up and running and reconstruction projects off the ground. The alternative would have been to institute a system that could have delayed expenditure for months.
	The progress made by the CPA in improving financial management in the Iraqi Ministries and of the budget process. The CPA introduced a transparent framework for management of the national budget and took measures to improve reporting and recordkeeping. But implementing measures took time, which was inevitable given the total lack of transparency under the former regime.
	In addition the SIGIR report does not tally with the report by the UN-mandated International Advisory Board (IAMB) into CPA management of the Development Fund for Iraq (FPI). The IAMB was set up to oversee audits of the DFI and ensure that the objectives set forth in UNSCR 1483 were met. Although concerns were raised over the lack of metering of Iraq's oil pipelines and controls over oil sales, it concluded that
	"all known oil proceeds . . . have been properly and transparently accounted for in the DFI".

Iraq

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will work with the US Administration and the Iraqi Governing Authority to (a) investigate, (b) locate and (c) retrieve mismanaged Coalition Provisional Authority funding distributed during the occupation of Iraq found to be the result of fraudulent transactions.

Denis MacShane: With respect to the report by the US Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him today (U1N 214065). The International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) has also reported its main finding in respect of Coalition management of the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) that "all known oil proceeds . . . have been properly and transparently accounted for in the DFI". The UK Government will continue to work with the Iraqi Government, the US Administration and the IAMB to ensure the proper and transparent management of Iraq's oil revenues.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department has received concerning the provision of legal representation to Amir Al-Saadi since his surrender in April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Dr. Al-Saadi was held by the US authorities in accordance with UNSCR 1546 as he was deemed to pose an imperative threat to security. Our understanding is that the US does not permit access by legal advisers to security internees because their detention is based on sensitive intelligence/security concerns. Dr. Al-Saadi was released by the US on 18 January 2005.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct the UK representation in Sudan to investigate why the National Security Agency of Sudan confiscated all copies of the Al-Mushahid sports paper.

Denis MacShane: We regularly highlight the importance of press freedom with the Government of Sudan, and our Embassy in Khartoum will be raising this case at the first opportunity.

West Papua

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to representatives of UK companies with operations in West Papua with respect to the companies' human rights protection, monitoring and reporting policies in the territory.

Douglas Alexander: The Government has a dialogue with UK companies operating in Papua on a wide range of issues, including human rights. We are not aware of any British company in Papua acting against Indonesian law. We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Papua. We have made our position clear on several occasions, that Papua should be handled according to the Special Autonomy Law 2001, which takes into account the aspirations of the Papuan people and Indonesia's territorial integrity.

NORTHERN IRELAND

MRSA

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether children have contracted MRSA in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		Number of children in Northern Ireland by age with MRSA isolated from laboratory blood cultures 2000–04
		
			 Age 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Total 
		
		
			 0–1 5 4 1 4 1 15 
			 1–2 — — — — — — 
			 2–3 1 — 1 1 — 3 
			 3–4 — — — — — — 
			 4–5 — — — 1 — 1 
			 5–6 — — — — — — 
			 6–7 — — — — — — 
			 7–8 — — — — — — 
			 8–9 — — — — — — 
			 9–10 — 1 — — — 1 
			 10–15 — — — — — — 
			 Total 6 5 2 6 1 20 
		
	
	Note:
	2004 results should be regarded as provisional as not all laboratory returns are in for 2004.
	Source:
	Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland

NHS Staff (Recorded Attacks)

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) physical and (b) verbal attacks were recorded on (i) doctors, (ii) nurses, (iii) auxiliary staff and (iv) administrative staff (A) in hospitals and (B) throughout the NHS in the Province in each year since 2000.

Angela Smith: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the number of recorded attacks (both verbal and physical) on Health and Personal Social Services staff in all disciplines, during the financial years for which figures are currently available, is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000–01 1956 
			 2001–02 2438 
			 2002–03 5056

North/South Implementation Bodies

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the costs have been of maintaining each of the North/South implementation bodies since the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Paul Murphy: The British Government's expenditure in respect of each North/South Implementation Body for the financial years 2002–03 and 2003–04 is set out in the following table. Separate information is not available for the post-suspension period of 2002–03. Details of expenditure in the current financial year are not yet available.
	
		
			 Body and year Cost (£000) 
		
		
			 Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission 
			 2002–03 1,005 
			 2003–04 675 
			   
			 Waterways Ireland  
			 2002–03 2,348 
			 2003–03 3,135 
			   
			 Trade and Business Development Body  
			 2002–03 1,088 
			 2003–04 2,103 
			   
			 Special European Programmes Body  
			 2002–03 671 
			 2003–04 1,080 
			   
			 The North/South Language Body 
			 2002–03 3,622 
			 2003–04 3,754 
			   
			 Food Safety Promotion Board 
			 2002–03 1,251 
			 2003–04 1,592